Efraìn Amador Piñero

Cuban musician who has maintained a brilliant musical career as an instrumentalist, composer, and arranger.

He was born in San Joaquín, Chambas, in the province of Ciego de Ávila, Cuba. He studied guitar and music in general at the Conservatorio Amadeo Roldán and at the Escuela Nacional de Arte (ENA) always under the direction of maestro Isaac Nicola.

He graduated in 1970 and that same year began forming the Dúo Amanecer with his wife, pianist Doris Oropesa, launching his career as a concert artist, composer, and pedagogue in Camagüey and later in Ciudad de La Habana where he assumed the leadership of the guitar department at the ENA.

From 1976 to 1981 he pursued Advanced Studies at the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) with maestro Leo Brouwer.

He has participated in all editions of the Contemporary Music Festival of the UNEAC. Beginning in 1981 he started his international career as a soloist and with the Chamber Duo in festivals, artistic tours, and lectures in countries across Europe, Africa, and Latin America.

In 1999 they transferred their work to the Centro Nacional de Música de Conciertos and remained as contracted adjunct professors at the ISA. In Guanabacoa between 1987 and 2005 he and his wife founded a cultural gathering space in their home that later moved to the Casa de Cultura "Rita Montaner", LA PEÑA DEL ARTE. Starting in 1995 they were appointed by the PCC and UNEAC as coordinators of the Guanabacoa municipality.

Since 1983, together with his wife, he conducted intensive research and fieldwork throughout the country, including the most remote mountain regions in Maisí and other towns in Guantánamo, S. Spíritus, etc.

In 1989 they founded, through the national system of art schools at the secondary level, the Escuela Cubana de Tres y Laúd which in 1998 was also established at the university level (ISA) following a long process of work by the Duo and their daughter Ariadna, transcriber of all materials recorded in situ.

CUBANÍAS, an album by the Trío Amanecer recorded by EGREM, represents a culminating point in Efraín's endeavor to value the tres and laud, instruments essential to Cuban Son and Punto respectively, and to provide their performers with solid academic training, something he decided to do over 25 years ago.

Part of this work has led him to direct the Trio made up of his partner Doris Oropesa (piano) and his daughter Ariadna Amador (tres and piano), to which he contributes the laud. The results of their chamber music are presented in this phonogram showcased at the UNEAC headquarters in the capital by Elsida González, director of Music at EGREM (Enterprise of Musical Recordings and Editions). On the cover of the album, Harold Gramatges (who wrote the presentation notes) highlighted:

"The most important genres of Cuban popular music are presented in this album as a singular offering to concert music."

The maestro also emphasized "a wealth of interpretive subtleties, great mastery in the handling of dynamics and color, which evidences the refined instrumental technique of the artists."

Composition Awards for works in artistic education
(For the Duo) UNEAC 1986, 1987, and 1988.
Recognition Diploma for outstanding work in Community Culture granted by the Presidency of UNEAC.
"Amadeo Roldán" Diploma granted by the Association of Musicians of UNEAC.
Award for Scientific Merit granted by the Ministry of Higher Education and the Rector of ISA, 1988.

Compositions
Listen little pioneer, children's chorus
Poor Siboney child, children's chorus
In a corner of Viet Nam, children's chorus, 1968
Song of the century, mixed chorus
I have traveled, children's chorus; 1969
A river is a child, 1973, children's chorus

Chorus and Orchestra
Triptych, 1978

Guitar
Four commentaries on Leo Brouwer, 1970
Suite for a chieftain, 1972
Inventions nos. 1-5
Cuban counterpoints and Guajira, 1975
Study for the left hand, 1976
Two studies with the fifth finger and Prelude with tumbao, 1976
Variations on three Cuban themes, 1977
Fantasy of son, Fantasy and Son of the right hand, 1981
Espirituano Prelude nos. I and II, 1987
Study in E minor, 1988

Guitar and Piano
Latin American Song

Laud
School of peasant laud, 1983-1986
Son for a friend, 1985
Four preludes, 1995-1996
Concerto for laud and guitar orchestra, 1988-1989

Laud and Piano
Guajira Fantasy, laud, guitar and piano, 1983-1984
Peasant Suite no. 1, 1984-1985
Of the marvelous real (Homage to José Manuel Rodríguez), 1986-1987

Tres
School of Cuban tres, 1986
Return to my tres, 1986
Peasant Rondo, 1986
Spring in Stockholm, 1991
Variations on southern airs, 1992
Study in baroque style, 1998

Tres and Piano
Guanabaquiste, 1986
Variations for dawn, 1998
Tres and Orchestra
Concerto, tres and symphonic orchestra, 1987-1988
Concerto for dawn, guitar orchestra, 1991

Violin and Piano
Amanecer Sonata, 1986

Voice and Guitar
At the end of the year of joy, Traces prodigies
It is late for the tree
Perhaps a love song
And the words, texts: Alex Fleites, 1979-1980
Celia, 1980, text: Efraín Amador
Poem for two, text: Alex Fleites
Days of Ethiopia, text: Nelson Herrera Ysla, 1981

Voice and Piano
For the palm a ship, 1976