Jorge Gavira

"He was a person of strong character but also very noble. Any young person without resources who came to his house and asked him to teach them classes, he would give them without charging. Lyric singer of great trajectory. Baritone with an international career of more than 50 years.

He had spectacular training because he spent his life studying," expressed his friend Damián Arzola, who lived with the baritone in southwest Miami.

Gavira was born in La Habana. In the 1950s he studied singing in Italy under the direction of Italian bass Nazareno de Angelis, thanks to a scholarship arranged by Marta Fernández Miranda de Batista. He then continued studying with teachers Carlo Galeffi and the legendary Mexican tenor, priest José Mojica. He graduated as Diplomato in Lyric Singing and Music.

Upon his return to the island in 1961, the singer joined the Teatro Lírico Nacional, where he participated in the productions of Rigoletto, La Traviata and Il Tabarro, among other works. During those years his mentors were tenor Miguel de Grandy Sr. and bass José Le Matt.

"When he did his first audition, we did not hesitate to give him the main role of Rigoletto for his magnificent vocal qualities. Later De Grandy assigned him the roles of Juan in Los Gavilanes and Vidal Hernando in Luisa Fernanda. He was a great person," said Le Matt.

Upon his return to his homeland, he debuted at the Sociedad Pro Arte Musical (Grupo Experimental de Ópera) and performed leading roles of his range in the titles Il tabarro (Michele) and La rondine (Rambaldo), both by Puccini, in 1964. Founding member of the Teatro Lírico Nacional de Cuba. He participated in the first stage productions: Luisa Fernanda (Vidal) 1963; El matrimonio secreto (Conte Robinson), 1963 and 1965; La traviata (Germont), 1964; Los gavilanes (Juan), 1965; Rigoletto (r.t.), 1965. In 1964 he performed in Mexico with the zarzuela and operetta company of Pepita Embil.

After leaving the island in 1965, Gavira settled in Mexico, where he worked in the lyric company of Pepita Embill, mother of Plácido Domingo. He then performed in New York, Madrid and several Latin American capitals. In 1978 he settled in Miami.

Throughout his career, the baritone made countless recordings of zarzuelas and operettas. Part of this work is included in Gavira a los 76, a CD of Cuban songs that he recorded in 2010 that he gave to his friends.

He performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, at the Teatro Municipal de Caracas and in Buenos Aires.

Gavira participated in the Miami premiere of Amalia Batista at the Miami Senior High School auditorium in 1988. On July 29th, the Sociedad Pro Arte Grateli awarded him the Orden Gonzalo Roig for his artistic merits, during the revival of the famous Cuban zarzuela.

He shared stages with artists of the caliber of Richard Tucker, Robert Merrill, Anna Moffo and many others. Retired from the stage, he devoted himself to teaching in the city of Miami.

Gavira died at South Miami Hospital on August 10th from cancer, at the age of 78.