Niurka González Núñez

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Flauta Virtuosa - Niurka González & María del Henar Navarro

She began her musical studies at the "Manuel Saumell" Conservatory in 1989 with professors Luisa M. Hernández (flute) and María Isabel Castro (clarinet).

After graduating as a flutist and clarinetist from the "Amadeo Roldán" Conservatory in 1995, under the guidance of professors Halina Kusiak (flute) and Aldo Salvent (clarinet), she continued her studies at the Superior Institute of Art of Cuba with professors Luis Bayard on flute and Jesús Rencurrell on clarinet.

In 1997, she obtained First Prize at the Superior Conservatory of Paris (CNR) and in 1999, the Gold Diploma from the Superior Institute of Art. She has received lessons from maestros Alain Marion and Sophie Cherrier, Claudi Arimany and Andras Adorjan and attended master classes by Jean-Pierre Rampal, Michel Debost and Barthold Kuijken.

Her performances as a soloist stand out with the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba conducted by Maestro Leo Brouwer, Enrique Pérez Mesa, Iván del Prado, Jean Paul Penin, Sebrina Alfonso and Bernard Rubenstein, with the National Concert Band conducted by Spanish Maestro José Cerveró Pizarro, with the Chamber Orchestra Música Eterna conducted by Maestro Guido López Gavilán, with the Soloists of Havana, under the direction of Maestro Iván Valiente and with the Chamber Orchestra of the European Community under the direction of Norwegian violinist Eivind Aadland, as well as with notable orchestras in Chile and Brazil.

As a member of the Havana Chamber Music Trio, she conducted a concert tour through Barcelona in 1994, performing as a soloist in a concert sponsored by the PHONOS Foundation. She has been the winner of the Grand Prize in the "Amadeo Roldán" competitions in 1991 and 1994, as well as Honorable Mention for Best Performance of Cuban Music; Grand Prize at the VI Competition and Chamber Music Conference of the National Center for Concert Music where she also obtained Honorable Mention for Best Performance of Baroque Music and Latin American Music in 1993; Prize in the Chamber Music Competition of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba; Honorable Mention for Interpretive Mastery, 1993; Prize at the IX Festival and Contemporary Music Competition "José Ardevol" as well as Honorable Mention for the Performance of a Cuban Work; First Place and Honorable Mention for the Performance of a Cuban Work in the Musicalia'95 Competition of the Superior Institute of Art.

In 2009 she received the 'Eternal Spiral Prize' awarded for the first time by the Office of Maestro Leo Brouwer.

She has represented Cuba in festivals in Ecuador, Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France among others where she has performed concerts and master classes. Her collaboration as a soloist and as a member of various chamber music ensembles has taken her to perform in prestigious halls in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Spain, Chile, France, China, England, Italy, Brazil, Paraguay and Ecuador.

In 1996 she was awarded a scholarship, for one year, from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs where she studied at the Superior Conservatory of Paris (CNR) with professor Sophie Cherrier, obtaining First Prize in the Flute Prize Competition of that conservatory, thereby obtaining the Diploma of Completion of Studies at the Superior Level.

She was invited by Maestro Claudio Abbado to participate in the orchestral improvement courses sponsored by the "Gustav Mahler" foundation held in the cities of Ferrara and Bolzano.

In 2002 she recorded her first CD "Flauta Virtuosa" together with pianist María del Henar Navarro, receiving the prize for best "Opera Prima" at the Cubadisco 2003 competition.

Throughout these years her collaborations in recordings and concerts with musicians such as Silvio Rodríguez, Leo Brouwer, José María Vitier, Amaury Pérez, Ernán Lopez-Nussa, Liuba María Hevia, Chucho Valdés, Guido López Gavilán, Jorge López Marín, among others, stand out. She has participated as a guest in all the 'Leo Brouwer' Chamber Music Festivals that have been held since 2009.

Since 1996, together with pianist María del Henar Navarro, she is part of the Ondina Duo. She is currently a soloist with the concert music ensemble, part of the group of musicians accompanying troubadour Silvio Rodríguez and is an auxiliary professor of flute at the Superior Institute of Art of Havana, Cuba.

CubaDisco 2018 awarded the prize for Interpretive Excellence for the CDs Havana-Paris and En Viaje both nominated in the Chamber Music category to Niurka González Núñez and María del Henar Navarro.

In 2019 she performed as a soloist on a tour through Spain with the National Symphony Orchestra on its 60th anniversary performing the Autumn Concert by Joaquín Clerch.

She is the wife of singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez with whom she has a daughter.