Eugenio Antonio Pedraza Ginori

He was born in Esperanza, Province of Villa Clara. At the University of La Habana he graduated as a Bachelor of Advertising (1960) and Bachelor of Art History (1978).

Television director, filmmaker, screenwriter and producer, radio director and screenwriter, documentarian, theater artist, director and organizer of events and shows, musical author, record producer, journalist, writer, broadcaster, professor, advertising professional.

In September 1956, after completing his high school studies in Sciences at the Institute of Secondary Education in the city of Santa Clara, he settled in La Habana, where he began studying at the Professional School of Advertising with the intention of dedicating himself professionally to that activity. He attended classes at night while working as an administrative employee in a transportation company, warehouse assistant at Fin de Siglo, surveyor at various advertising agencies and other jobs.

From January 1957 to December 1960 he wrote advertising texts at the agencies Rubín González, Publicidad Godoy and Mercados y Propaganda.

When commercial advertising disappeared in Cuba, he directed his career toward radio. During 1961 and 1962 he wrote and directed programs on Radio Progreso Cadena Nacional. Among them "Trío Servando Díaz" (hosted by Armando Martínez), "Sabor y Ritmo a las 7" (which included a sketch of "Lita y Cholito", comic characters performed by Lita Romano and Armando Soler, written by Héctor Quintero), "El show de Alfonso Arau" and "Variedades Radio Progreso", predecessor of "Alegrías de sobremesa", which featured popular singers such as Moraima Secada, Rolo Martínez, Kino Morán, Celeste Mendoza, Nancy Álvarez and many others, accompanied by the Jazz Band Orchestra of Radio Progreso directed by Manolo Castro. This live program with an audience in studio 1 combined musical performances with humorous sketches written by Manuel Montero Ojea "Membrillo" in which legendary figures of Cuban vernacular appeared such as Alicia Rico, Marío Galí "Tachuela", Carlos Montezuma, Francisco Marrero "Tinguaro", Natalia Herrera, Gastón Palmer and others.

At Radio Progreso he directed an amateur singers program called "Estrellas del mañana" from which figures such as Danny Puga, Mireya Escalante, María Elena Pena, Alberto Bermúdez and Daisy Ortega emerged.

At Radio Progreso he met Mariano Suárez del Villar, music director and conductor, whose aesthetic criteria notably influenced him and to whom he was always grateful for guiding him along the path that leads to the best Cuban music.

In 1962, Mexican Alfonso Arau, who directed the Teatro Musical de La Habana, invited him to join his group. There he was assistant director of the first shows ("Oh, la gente!" and "Nueve nuevos juglares"), took theatrical studies that cemented his knowledge of the medium and directed several shows.

For 30 years, from 1965 to 1995, he worked at Cuban Television as director, writer and producer of programs.

In dramatic programming he directed "Teatro ICRT", "Palco 1", "La comedia del domingo" and several series of "Grandes Novelas" with significant works of universal literature. Among his most outstanding musical programs: "Un millón de lunes" (1966), "Juntos a las 9 / A la hora del cañonazo)" (1970/75), "Joven Joven" (1983/86), "En vivo" with Germán Pinelli and Verónica Lynn, which aired Monday to Saturday for 17 months, "En la viva" with Consuelito Vidal (1991), "La guagua", "A propósito de un ritmo cubano llamado son", "Todas las Mirtas" (with vedette Mirtha Medina), "Esta noche viene el Teatro Musical", "Marta Valdés, hagamos la canción", "La Burke en casa", "Amaury Pérez por la carretera" (made in Mexico in 1990), "Recital", etc.

Among the musical works he directed on TV Cubana were "Los hermanos Dalton", "Pasión y muerte de Joaquín Murieta", "La verdadera historia de Pedro Navaja", "El bateus de Amadeus" and the ballet "Carmina Burana".

Also numerous special programs, concerts and major events such as the Adolfo Guzmán National Song Contest, Festival OTI, Varadero International Festival, Girasol of Revista Opina, National Humor Festival, Egrem Prize, Jazz Plaza Festival, Benny Moré National Festival, "La Movida desde Tropicana" (two 5-hour specials broadcast live by Televisa and hosted by Verónica Castro)...

All the important figures of Cuban entertainment from the last quarter of the twentieth century performed in his programs and concerts. And, moreover, international artists of the stature of Miriam Makeba, Alberto Cortez, Joan Manuel Serrat, Los 5 Latinos, Óscar D'León, Ana Belén and Víctor Manuel, Mikis Theodorakis, Danny Rivera, Karel Gott, Lucecita Benítez, María de Lourdes, Vicente Garrido, Quilapayún, Chico Buarque, Massiel, Los Bravos and many others.

In 1976/77, at the facilities of the Television of the GDR (DDR Fernsehen) in Berlin, he pursued advanced studies in program direction. As part of that training he was assistant director on the programs "Ein Kessel Buntes" (musical variety) and on the telemagazine "Berlin Panorama".

In collaboration with Loly Buján, he wrote and directed in 1978/79 "Yo también soy joven", a series that achieved great success with the public and critics, awarded by the Union of Cuban Journalists.

He was representative of TV Cubana at the International Television Programs Encounter (Gdansk), at the Sopot Song Festival and at the OTI Song Festival in Acapulco and in Valencia (Spain). On two occasions (1978 and 1989) he was a member of the international jury of the "Praga de Oro" Festival, sponsored by Czechoslovak TV.

Alternating with his work on TV, from 1964 to 1995 he organized, wrote and directed multiple scenic activities: concerts, macro-concerts, tours, theatrical works, musical reviews, festivals and variety and cabaret shows. Among these "Un peso de música" which filled the Teatro Mella for several weeks. Notable is his work for several years directing the shows of Teatro Karl Marx (Habana) where he directed, among many others: the "Cuba-USA Encounter" in 1979, the series "Lunes para la Juventud", "Las aventuras de Maggie y Luis", "La Noche de los Girasoles de la Revista Opina", "Premios EGREM", "Joven Joven en el Karl Marx", "Mirta a todo Mirta", "La Seña del Humor se ensaña", "Se soltó Papillon", "Amaury Pérez de vuelta" and "Irakere en buena compañía".

From 1979 to 1982 he collaborated with EGREM, producing records by Soledad Delgado, Mirtha Medina, María Elena Pena, Flora Mazorra, Los Rangers de Nicaragua and other performers.

Author and co-author of dozens of songs. Notable among them "Mía la felicidad", which was recorded, among others, by the Cuarteto de Meme Solís, Omara Portuondo and Ela Calvo.

His collaboration with Rafael Ortiz, director of the Septeto Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro, produced two major hits for the group: "La vida es una semana" and "El final no llegará". The latter achieved great international distribution thanks to Nueva Trova Santiaguera which, in addition to recording it, closed all their concerts with it.

Besides those already mentioned, among the artists who have performed songs by Pedraza Ginori are Celeste Mendoza, Rosita Fornés, Grupo Irakere, Soledad Delgado, Cuarteto Los Heraldos Negros, Grupo Sierra Maestra, Clara y Mario, Rolando Ojeda "Ojedita", Consuelito Vidal, Orquesta Ritmo Oriental, Mirtha Medina, Miguel Ángel Piña, Issac Delgado, Farah María, Juanito Márquez, Lourdes Torres y Los Modernistas, Septeto Los Naranjos, Conjunto Los Montunos, Charanga Típica de Rubalcaba, Dúo Las Din Don, Orquesta Siglo XX, Mireya Escalante, Los Barba, Conjunto Los Latinos, Miguel Ángel Masjuán, Rebeca Martínez, Georgia Gálvez, Yolanda Brito, Magali Tars, Las Capella, Orquesta de Música Moderna de Santiago de Cuba, Alicia y Los 3+1, Bobby Carcassés, Los Heraldos Negros, Elsa Rivero, Elizabeth de Gracia, Coro del ICRT, El Nene y su Grupo...

He has written adaptations and Spanish versions of musical comedies and songs. Member of SGAE (Sociedad General de Autores de España) and the Society of Musical Authors of Cuba.

In journalism, he was a contributor to Revista Cuba Internacional and the weekly Palante. His literary creation consists of three books: "Todo se complica" (short stories), "Los famosos me tienen loco" (humor) and "Crecer y dar tumbos" (novel).

Since October 1992 he has resided in Spain, where he has worked in documentation and information, journalism, radio, teaching and film.

His blog can be visited at the following address: https://www.elblogdepedrazaginori.blogspot.com.es