Martín Arranz Fuentes

Singer, actor, promoter of tango, radio broadcaster, surprises by his simplicity, he is a great man, not by stature, but for being able to capture with his voice, to hold so many people who enjoy good music or to make any tango enthusiast an accomplice of the radio. Founder of the Teatro Lírico Rodrigo Prats, actor, singer, broadcaster of CMKO Radio Angulo.

If something more were needed to identify him, that vocation as a promoter of tango that has marked him in Holguín culture for many years would suffice. That vocation for Radio, broadcasting, Theater and Art in general began from a very young age, performing in theatrical evenings at Primary Schools. With few years under his belt, he frequented the old radio stations "CMKO" and "CMKF", collaborating there in different radio activities.

From a very young age, at 12 or 13 years old, he went to the old CMKO, participated in some programs by a promoter called Chelala. Also from childhood, Gardel was like one of the family: they listened to him daily, they cradled him with Gardel.
This influenced him in such a way that when his parents went to Havana, his siblings asked for toys and he asked for Gardel records, he became a "Gardelian record collector". An acquaintance, Eladio Osorio, worked as an operator at CMKO, which since its founding maintained a daily programming of Gardel. He knew that Martín collected this singer's records and communicated it to Manuel Angulo, then the doors of the radio opened for him with the Daily Gardel program.

Before 1959 he sang in a choir at the Methodist Church, later he sang in the choir of the Catholic Church.

When the revolution triumphed, he joined the Commerce Choir, under the direction of Augusto Cesar Milord. During that time, a strong choral movement took place in our city, which was the nurturing source of the Lírico Theater of Holguín, today "Rodrigo Prats".

At the beginning of 1962, Raúl Camayd spoke to him to take part in the plans to stage the Spanish zarzuela, "Los Gavilanes", participating in some rehearsals at the library, and at Graciela Morales's house. He remembers that on the night of November 16, 1962, he could not participate in the premiere of that work because he was mobilized militarily. It should be noted that said premiere took place during the "October Crisis".

Two months later he participates in Banes in the presentation of Los Gavilanes, which constitutes his first public presentation with the Teatro Lírico.

In January 1964, he definitively began working at the Teatro Lírico as a singer-actor. There he voluntarily served for more than 25 years as subdirector. He keeps, from his time at that institution, the pleasant memory of the final recognition that Camayd gave him when he said: "Martín is institutional at the Lírico, he is the soul of the institution".

But despite this extensive activity and responsibility, Martín remains linked to the radio. There he worked as a writer and producer of different programs in which he obtained provincial and national awards.

The written press has reflected Martín's work:
"¡Ahora!", Thursday August 25, 1966: ... "Martín Arranz acted in his role as Uncle Sabino in the Zarzuela "La del soto del parral" with great sobriety and ease, offering one of the best and most pleasant presentations of the evening". This work was directed by a glory of Cuban lyric theater: Miguel de Grandy.

"Juventud Rebelde", Theater Festival of Havana 1980..... "The scenic performance suffered from overacting, mechanism or reiteration of schemes, deficiencies quite widespread in the lyric productions of the country; they can be saved in "María La O", "El Santiago" by Edilberto Pérez and "El Calesero" by Martín Arranz"...

"¡Ahora!", February 26, 1989, a page with the title: "Martín, the mountain man of Art"

"Revista Bohemia", September 1990. In one of its paragraphs it says: "On a day for example, today he gets up and helps at the Teatro Lírico to collect the union among the actors, to get fabric for the next work or to call for a rehearsal, in the afternoon he vocalizes, reviews the lyrics of his current character, goes to the local radio station to prepare the next program (which he directs, writes and presents) there is no name for the incredible vehemence, love, will and selflessness that this man puts into everything. And he is good as Uncle Sabino in "La del Soto del Parral", the black calesero in "Maria la O", Don Luis Nogales in "Luisa Fernanda", and the soul of his center, because as his director says (From the same race, from those who know that work is what moves life) the great singer-actor Raúl Camayd: "With people like Martín everything moves, everything works".

Newspaper "El País" Uruguay, First International Gardelian Congress, Casa de las Américas: ..."Cuba had 3 representatives Martín Arranz a restless and intelligent Cuban musicologist from Holguín, gave an interesting presentation titled Motivations. Arranz, lyric singer, directs a well-known radio program created to display the notable adherence that Tango awakens in the interior of Cuba and how some Cuban lyric singers currently sing tangos that were sung by Gardel."

"Página 12" Buenos Aires, Argentina: ..."Martín Arranz, singer-actor of the Teatro Lírico of Holguín is received in Buenos Aires for his dedication for more than forty years to spreading Argentine culture in Cuba through tango"

"El Comercio", Lima Peru August 5, 1997: ..."Remarkable the performances and the comic encore of the actors Mario Brito, Martín Arranz and Luis Medina."

"La República", Peru, Thursday July 30, 1998:.."In Maria la O, the Cuban mulatta of heading at the Teatro Segura, characterizes properly the black Guadalupe, the Master Martín Arranz".

Cuban culture has rewarded such dedication, that vehemence with which Martín Arranz has devoted himself to the enrichment of our culture, with the Distinction of National Culture, the seal of twenty years as a culture leader, the Diploma as a collaborator of Radio Angulo for more than 25 years, Crystal Microphone delivered by ICRT for years of work, Prize from the city for the radio program "Domingo Lírico", Medal "Raúl Gómez García" for more than 25 years of work in the sector, Medal "Lázaro Peña" for the 60 of the CTC. Medal of Calixto García, delivered by the Periquera, The Aldabón of the City. The "Facón de Plata", delivered by the solidarity movement with Cuba of Ensenada, Buenos Aires. Trophy from the Communist Party of San Fernando, Buenos Aires Medal of Gardel, Mar del Plata, Argentina. He received the seal of laureate at the national level from the Culture Union.

Those who tune in to Radio Angulo every Sunday at 8:00 am have the opportunity to have a very personal contact with this tireless man of Cuban culture.