David Blanco Ponsada

A member of a generation of young people who have bet on the richness of Cuban popular music, David Blanco is one of the most popular interpreters and composers in Cuba.

He began his musical studies as a child at the "Alejandro García Caturla" school, where he remained for three years entirely devoted to violin studies until he discovered the new possibilities offered by the trumpet.

He graduated as an Instrumentalist-trumpet teacher and ensemble practice from the "Amadeo Roldán" Music Conservatory in 1998. He included in his curriculum singing, harmony, composition and orchestration, among other musical and cultural subjects. He has taken additional courses in popular harmony and orchestration. He also studied at the "Alejandro García Caturla" music school and at the National School of Music.

At age 13, he was part of the Children's Symphony Orchestra, made up of selected students from all the Music Schools of Havana, as a trumpeter, performing in different venues in Havana, including the important National and "Mella" theaters.

At age 14, he was a keyboardist and trumpeter in various musical groups in Havana. He gave his first piano presentation at the Napoleonic Museum of Havana, alongside young Cuban musicians.

At age 15, he joined the rock band A-19 as a keyboardist and singer, with whom he performed at important venues in the Cuban capital, such as the Karl Marx theater. With that group he recorded the album "Saliendo a flote 2" with the Cuban production company EGREM.

At age 16, he was part of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory, also as a trumpeter, with whom he performed in central theaters in Havana.

During his studies at the National School of Music, he was selected to be part of different student choirs, with which he performed in various presentations.

At age 17, he joined singer-songwriter Gerardo Alfonso's band as a pianist, arranger and keyboardist. With that group, he performed in different shows at theaters, plazas and important television programs in Cuba. Among other performances, he shared stages with Mexican bands "Café Tacuba" and "Botellita de Jerez" at concerts in Havana (1997).

He was invited to participate with the rock group "Cosa Nostra" (one of the most well-known in Cuba) in the recording of the album "Invisible bridges" (EGREM, 1999), in which he performed different solos as a keyboardist and trumpeter.

He participated in the rock band "Kamara Gamma" in the recording of the album "Pretentions" (EGREM, 2000), as an arranger, keyboardist, pianist, trumpeter and chorus singer.

At age 18, he formed a jazz group as a pianist and keyboardist to participate in the important "Jazz Plaza" festival and at the famous Havana jazz club "La zorra y el cuervo." He performed and shared stages with very important musicians from Cuban and international jazz, such as Chucho Valdés, Bobby Carcassés and others.

Since 1999, he has worked in parallel as a producer and arranger of pop and salsa music for recordings of important Cuban musicians, as well as his own songs, working at the main recording studios in Cuba, such as Pablo Milanés's studios, EGREM and others. His latest work in this regard was the album Sola by singer Isis Flores (Bis music, CD 662).

From 1998 to the end of March 2001, he worked as a trumpeter, keyboardist, arranger, composer, and chorus singer in the band Moncada.

For more than 10 years, he has led a movement to renew Cuban popular music, based on the creative mixing of classic genres and styles of his country's music, such as son, mambo, guaracha, cha-cha-cha, conga and rumba; with rock and Latin jazz.

He has recorded three albums, all ranked among the best in Cuba in the years of their releases: Tengo para dar (2003), nominated for various categories at that year's Cubadísco Festival; El Despechao (2005), awarded in several categories at the 2005 festival, and La evolución (2008), ranked as the best rock album at Cubadisco 2008.

Some of his music videos have been ranked among the best produced in his country. Both specialized critics and the public rank him year after year as Best Artist in the pop and rock categories.

Since his debut ten years ago, many of his songs have been among the public's favorites. Some of his hits in Cuba and other countries are Mueve la pachanga, Tengo para dar, Habanero soy, En un solo pie, Miénteme, Despechao, Fiesta, Una y otra vez, La evolución and la tierra prometida.

He has performed on stages in Spain, Argentina, Canada, Venezuela, Mexico, Guatemala and South Africa. In Cuba, he has performed in the best theaters and open plazas in the country, with millions of people attending these concerts.

He has participated in all television programs in Cuba and also in Spain, Guatemala, Canada and other countries. His presence on the radio is constant.

His songs are performed by other artists, such as Sergio Dalma, Haydeé Milanés, Niurka Reyes and others. Others have been selected to be part of various compilation albums in different countries, with great success.

He has sung with the best artists from his country and other non-Cuban artists, such as Omara Portuondo, Eliades Ochoa, Pablo Milanés, Juan Formell and Los Van van, Charanga Habanera orchestra, NG La Banda, Manolito Simonet and his Trabuco, Ricardo Amaray, Isis, Haydee Milanés, Compay Segundo, Sergio Dalma, Pancho Amat, Pablo Santamaría, etc.

His themes are used as opening and closing for various television programs and films, as well as part of their soundtracks.

In April 2001, he founded his own band: David Blanco y su grupo, performing from that date on national stages and making several tours in Spain (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008) through major Spanish cities and with performances on television and radio in that country. In 2008, he performs in different cities in Argentina, where he shares the stage with Fito Páez, Haydee Milanés, Ernesto Blanco and other outstanding Argentine musicians.

He has worked with his band on Cuban television in all the main Cuban music programs, such as Rompiendo la rutina, 23 y M, A Moverse, Justo al Medio, Para darte, Fin de Semana, Para no salir de casa, En familia con Alfredo, La noche favorita, La Descarga, Con Carlos y punto, Conexión, A romper el coco, De siete a ocho, No quiero llanto and others. On the A Moverse program, he debuted as a solo singer with his own band on September 17, 2000, and since then has not stopped being requested by the directors of the main programs in which he has performed.

On December 31, 2006, he held an important television special with his band and important guests, such as Eliades Ochoa and el Greco; where for an hour and a half David sang many songs from his repertoire as well as versions of important songs such as Palabras by Martha Valdés and If you leave me now by Chicago.

He has sung as a soloist, with his band or as a member of different bands on very important stages in Cuba and abroad. In addition to those mentioned, the famous Cabaret Parisién of the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, the Delirio Habanero cabaret of the National Theater, Macumba, Café Cantante Mi Habana, La Maison, Hotel Meliá Cohiba, hotel LTI Panorama, and others should be noted.

He has performed on stages throughout Cuba, including the Mella Theater, the Karl Marx theater and the National Theater in Havana, the Heredia Theater in Santiago de Cuba and the Cine-Teatro of Cárdenas.

As a composer, in addition to what has already been mentioned, he has composed music for the telenovela La Poderosa; for the teleplay Falsa moneda in 1998, premiered in Cuba, as well as composing music for different commercials.

In 1999, his song Ahora que no estás won the Second Prize at the OTI Song Festival in Cuba.

He has composed more than fifty different songs and pieces, some of which were included in his first demo as a singer, called Fuera de época (2000). He recorded his first album, the CD Tengo para dar, where all the themes are his own and which has been very successful in Cuba. His second CD, El despechao, also has all the themes of his authorship. On his third album, La evolución, he shares composition and production with his brother Ernesto. His latest CD is titled Vida Libre.

He is a member of the General Society of Authors of Spain (SGAE).

As has been stated, he has been an arranger and producer of many themes recorded by different artists in Cuba, including the album Guápulo by Argentine singer Alberto Caleris.

He was the producer of the album by Isis Flores; Sola, nominated for Cubadisco 2008 in several categories.

Other Cuban artists sing some of his songs, for example the group Moncada, the renowned musical group of Compay Segundo, Kiki Corona, Niurka, Isis and the popular Spanish singer Sergio Dalma.

He wrote the music for the opening of the 2001 national OTI song contest, also presenting himself as one of the chosen performers at the Rock Gala (out of competition).

His song Superdoce is the opening and closing theme of the television program of the same name on Cuban television (Sundays, 12:00 p.m.) and his song Habanero soy has been used as the closing theme of the TV channel of the City of Havana.

His song Jugada perfecta (co-authored with his brother Ernesto) is the theme song of the homonymous program on Habana Channel.

His songs are used as opening and closing themes for the popular programs Lucas: el Código Lucas in 2006 and 2007 and Vamos a buscar el diamante in 2008. His music has moved so far within the field of pop, rock and Cuban music.

Works
Ahora que no estás
Cuando me dijiste adiós
El despechao
Ella se ama sola
En un solo pie
Habanero soy
La poderosa (incidental music)
Falsa moneda (incidental music)
Miénteme
Mueve la pachanga
Superdoce
Tengo para dar
Una y otra vez
Vida Libre

David has an extensive repertoire that illustrates not only the diversity of genres he cultivates, but also a new form of creation in which themes belonging to contemporary urban music that fuses foreign rhythms with the most original ones born in Cuba stand out, which combined with the fact of achieving his own seal and style in each performance, make David Blanco and his group obtain indisputable results that make it possible to assure that this is only the beginning of a career full of successes where authenticity and Cubanness have their maximum expression.