Fara García Callava

Popular Cuban singer also known as La Gacela de Cuba, symbol of grace, sensuality and Cuban mixed-race beauty. She was a singer who knew how to choose her repertoire and demonstrated elegance and mastery on stage. She ventured into almost all genres of Cuban and international music.

She studied singing, dance and body expression.

At age 15 she joined the modeling corps of the cabaret at the Hotel Capri, with the duo Las Tropicales, and in the 1960s she was part of the popular vocal quartet Los Meme, alongside Héctor Téllez and Miguel Ángel Piña, replacing Moraima Secada. With this group Farah became known nationally and achieved relevance for her voice and stage presence within the group, an aspect that always characterized this quartet, in which each member achieved their own style as a soloist, without ceasing to be part of the group's own image.

Solo Career
In 1969 she began singing as a solo vocalist, characterized from then on by combining her vocal interpretation with gestures and movements of a dance character and excellent stage movement. She includes in her repertoire sones, guarachas and fundamentally romantic songs, placing several themes in national preference, such as Y yo me muero sin ti (by Jorge Estadella) and Te quiero tanto amor (by singer and composer Alfredo Martínez).

The public enjoyed her peculiar way of interpreting the tango Adiós muchachos, or a good son like La negra Tomasa, or her very personal versions of La flor de la canela, El pajaro Chogui, Un cuento, for which she was awarded internationally, or her delightful interpretation of the cha-cha-cha, by maestro Enrique Jorrín, in the Alardoso, or her very popular Tiburón, even venturing into the work of Silvio Rodríguez with her excellent versions of El mayor and El día feliz que está llegando.

Masters such as Adolfo Guzmán, Juan Almeida, Meme Solís, Silvio Rodríguez, Mario Aguirre, Juan Pablo Torres, Eddy Gaytán, and Barrerita composed songs for her.

She shared the stage at the Gran Teatro de La Habana García Lorca with Josephine Baker and Bola de Nieve.

She was one of the singers who most performed works by composer and commander Juan Almeida Bosque.

In Cuba she participated in all the Festivales de Boleros de Oro.
In 2005 she was honored for four decades of artistic career in Santiago de Cuba (Teatro Heredia), and in La Habana (Teatro Nacional: Sala Covarrubias).
Centenary Concert of Barbarito Diez, in Manatí, Las Tunas (Cuba)
In December 2008 she performed at the Regla theater (La Habana).
In 2009 she performed in La Habana, interviews, radio, press, as well as a television program: 23 y M.
She performed in concert in homage to Los Memes (Hotel Comodoro), Sala Artec (from Baracoa), Gran Teatro Guazo (from Guantánamo)
Recording on Radio Mambí with los Ángeles de la Creación (from Santiago de Cuba), as well as television presentations.
Her recitals at the Amadeo Roldán theater, or her performances at the main nightclubs of the capital, will always be well remembered by those who have admired and followed her closely.

She represented Cuba in numerous events, festivals and national competitions such as those for Creador Musical and Adolfo Guzmán; radio and television programs, cabaret productions and recitals in theaters and concert halls.

As a special guest at important festivals such as Melodías Amigas (in the defunct Soviet Union), the Festival de Viña del Mar (in Chile), and in the city of Benidorm (Kingdom of Spain), among others.

She undertook artistic tours through Italy, Mexico, Panama, Colombia and Spain, among other countries.

Actress
In the seventies she had the opportunity to film alongside Enrique Santiesteban, El jinete sin cabeza, in Czechoslovakia, and in the eighties she starred alongside singer Alfredo Rodríguez in a musical comedy at the Teatro Carlos Marx Lola a la pelota, where she was able to unfold as a musical comedian.

In 2010 she filmed as a guest actress Verde verde, under the direction of filmmaker Enrique Pineda Barnet, alongside renowned actor Héctor Noas.

In Spain
She resided for several years in the Kingdom of Spain, which was another stage for her successes. She shared with artists such as Carlos Cano, Caco Senante, Enrique Morente, Pepe Habichuela, Miguel Ríos, Joaquín Sabina and Pablo Milanés. She participated as a guest at different concerts and worked in radio, television and theater, with her performances at the Red de Teatro (in Extremadura), the Teatro López de Ayala (in Badajoz) and the Gran Teatro (from Cáceres) being memorable.

Discography
In her discographic record she had more than 500 songs recorded in Cuba. She recorded four long-play albums, one of them dedicated to the music of composer René Barreras, and the most recent dedicated to the son and to anthological works of old Cuban trovadorism.

Her last two albums were produced in Spain: Qué manera de quererte, of Cuban music, and Farah María canta al bolero español (a compilation of the best boleros by Spanish composer Fernando García Morcillo [1916-2002]).

Songs Performed
Adiós muchachos
Al verme solo cruzar entre la gente
Ámame y no pienses mal
Canción de todos los días
Con juventud y experiencia
De amor ya no se muere
De esa gente
El día feliz que está llegando
El recuerdo de aquel largo viaje
En mi lento caminar
Es la verdad del amor
Este camino largo
No me olvides, amor
Oh, cuánto te amo
Para el final de un año
Te prometí
Te quiero tanto
Tiburón en el malecón
Un cuento
Y yo me muero sin ti

Awards
She was awarded at several international festivals:

First Prize for Performance, Festival de Dresde (Germany).
Performance Awards, Festival de Tokio (Japan).
Grand Prize, Festival Orfeo de Oro (Bulgaria).
First Prize for Performance, Festival de Sopot (Poland).

Medals and Honors
Medal for Cuban National Literacy.
Medal for Cuban National Culture.
José María Heredia (highest award from Santiago de Cuba).
Honorary Member of the Cultural Association of Boleros.
Distinction for National Culture.