Orlando Vistel Columbié

Orlando Vistel Columbié was born on April 24, 1954, in Santiago de Cuba, into a family with a long musical tradition. He began his studies at the Esteban Salas Conservatory in his hometown and later completed his training at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, where he earned a degree in Composition under the tutelage of maestro Carlos Fariñas.

Throughout his career he taught at music institutions in Santiago de Cuba and Havana, served as director of the Manzanillo Conservatory, and presided over the Musicians' Association of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC). In 1994 he founded the ensemble Calor Cubano, with which he performed works of his own authorship and arrangements of traditional Cuban repertoire.

His greatest institutional legacy was the founding of the Cuban Institute of Music (ICM), an organization he served as vice-president and president, making decisive contributions to the development of Cuba's national music infrastructure over several decades.

For his sustained dedication to Cuba's artistic and literary culture, he was awarded the Orden Juan Marinello in 2021, one of the highest honors granted to Cuban intellectuals.

He passed away in Havana on May 10, 2026.