Raúl Camayd Zogbe

Baritone, singing professor and director of the Lírico de Holguín Theater.

He was born in Holguín. He began his studies with Esther Mallo, then continued them in the capital with Francisco F. Dominicis, Liliana Yablenska and other renowned professors.

In 1952 he was hired by the local radio station CMKF, then continued singing, sporadically, in various radio stations and theaters in Holguín and the capital where, in addition, he studied civil law.

In 1962 he founded the Lírico de Holguín Theater, a prestigious institution that he directed until his death and with which he starred in zarzuelas, operettas and numerous shows.

A great passionate about music, deeply attached to his homeland, Camayd undertook diverse projects that significantly stimulated the cultural development of this province. Among these were the founding of UNEAC, the national competition for young lyric singers and the ISA singing branch.

During his artistic career he performed throughout the island and on stages in countries such as Europe, Asia, and America. He received the Distinction for Cuban Culture and other recognitions.

He died on July 28, 1991 at the age of 54. At the initiative of maestro Frank Fernández, the artists and workers of the Rodrigo Prats Lírico Theater, and other cultural institutions, a mausoleum was built in the Cemetery of the city of Holguín to pay permanent tribute to the memory of baritone Raúl Camayd, an outstanding figure in Cuban culture.

After Camayd's remains were placed in the mausoleum which displays his image in relief, created by sculptor Lauro Hechavarría.

Camayd was the first president of the Provincial Committee of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) in Holguín.