Sergio Leovaldo Vitier García-Marrúz

He studied guitar at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory and composition at the Superior Institute of Art in Havana.

His main teachers were Isaac Nicola, Leo Brouwer, Federico Smith, José Ardévol, José Loyola, and Roberto Valera. He also pursued parallel studies in Orchestration, Harmony, Counterpoint, and Composition.

His music has explored multiple artistic variants –ballet, dance, theater, folklore, film, television– as well as different orchestral formats. He has been a member of the following musical groups: "Los Armónicos" Group by Felipe Dulzaides (1964-1966); Cuban Orchestra of Modern Music (1967-1969); Sound Experimentation Group of ICAIC (1969-1978); "Nuestro Tiempo" Group; Director of Contemporary Dance; Director of Mella Cultural Complex (1980-1990).

Founder and director of the ORU Group (an ensemble that brought together musicians from major musical lineages of the Island to conduct research on elements of African and Spanish-rooted folklore which, combined with his own creations and those of other contemporary composers, has created a refined repertoire in concert popular music, a field in which he stands out as one of the most brilliant practitioners).

He has performed on the most important stages in Cuba, Mexico, Spain, and France. As a soloist and with his group, he has performed in venues in Canada, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, Italy, Russia, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, among others. He has given lectures and master classes at universities, research centers, and other cultural institutions in the countries he visited. He accompanied Alicia Alonso in her return to American stages.

He performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington and at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, among other important venues. He has also worked in electroacoustic music, choral creation, and musical theater. A great researcher of the roots and traditions of Cuban culture, his music reflects the presence of Yoruba and Congo-Bantu cells in organic fusion with fundamental elements of Spanish sound, essentially regarding the guitar.

To this must be added his profound knowledge of the Island's popular traditions, as well as his great mastery of contemporary composition and orchestration techniques. All these factors interrelate and fuse in his work to make it one of the most original, prolific, and innovative in Cuban music of the last thirty years.

Currently, Sergio Vitier constitutes a fundamental reference point in the foundation of Cuban art and culture. One of the strongest trends in his work as a composer has been the creation of film music.

He has composed more than fifty film scores, including: DE CIERTA MANERA, 1974 (Dir. Sara Gómez); EL BRIGADISTA, 1977 (Dir. Octavio Cortázar); MALUALA, 1979 (Dir. Sergio Giral); GUARDAFRONTERAS, 1980 (Dir. Octavio Cortázar); CAPABLANCA, 1986 (Dir. Manuel Herrera); HOY COMO AYER, 1987 (Dir. Constante Diego); DERECHO DE ASILO, 1994 (Dir. Octavio Cortázar); QUIÉREME Y VERÁS, 1995 (Dir. Daniel Díaz Torres); TATU, CHÉ EN EL CONGO, 1997 (Dir. Jorge Fuentes); CHÉ, 1998 (Dir. Miguel Torres); PUERTO PRÍNCIPE MÍO, 2000 (Dir. Rigoberto López).

Special mention deserves this composer's systematic work with filmmaker Santiago Álvarez in the field of documentary cinema. The collaborative work with this great master generated an aesthetic and conceptual proposal of great value, recognized by specialized critics worldwide. For television, he has written music for more than twenty series, among which stand out: EN SILENCIO HA TENIDO QUE SER (in collaboration with José Ma. Vitier); JULITO EL PESCADOR (Idem); RUMBO A LA SALIDA DEL SOL; EL ECO DE LAS PIEDRAS.

Another solid aspect of his work is music created for theater. Highly recognized by stage directors and specialized critics, his work in this field has explored different trends. Titles include: DIVINAS PALABRAS (Valle Inclán-Roberto Blanco); MARIANA (F.G.Lorca-Roberto Blanco); YERMA (F.G.Lorca-Roberto Blanco); EL CARRILLÓN DEL KREMLIN (Pogodin-Radomislensky); MANTECA (Alberto Pedro-Miriam Lezcano). For Contemporary Dance, the prestigious Cuban company founded by master Ramiro Guerra, he has composed more than twenty scores. Some titles are: LA CAZA (1979); FAUSTO (1979); MICHELANGELO (1979); YERMA (1980); RITO DE LA DANZA (1984); FREUD (1989). The world of classical dance has also interested this creator. Thus, the NATIONAL BALLET OF CUBA, a company directed by Prima Ballerina Assoluta Alicia Alonso, has in its repertoire titles such as: DÚO DE SIEMPRE (Choreography by Alberto Méndez, 1976); FLORA (Choreography by Gustavo Herrera, 1978); AD LITIBUM (Choreography by Alberto Méndez, 1978) (composed especially for Alicia Alonso and Antonio Gades, he accompanied this dancer in her return to American stages. He performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington and at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, among other important venues); SYMPHONIC AND CHAMBER MUSIC; DESPRENDIMIENTOS (Symphonic Poem); CUMBRES (unpublished); RAÍCES; TRES TRENOS (unpublished); DESTIEMPOS FOR PIANO; ACERCA DE UN TEMA YORUBÁ; LYRICS, RHYTHMS AND SONG.

He has also worked in electroacoustic music, choral creation, and musical theater. He has created a refined repertoire in concert popular music, a field in which he stands out as one of the most brilliant practitioners.

In its thirty years of existence, the ORU Group has counted among its members legendary figures such as Jesús Pérez, master Olú Batá; Guillermo Barreto, Merceditas Valdés, Orlando López (Cachaíto), Genaro García Catarla, as well as young talents like Gema Corredera and Javier Zalba, among many others. It has performed on the most important stages in Cuba as well as in Mexico (Ollin Yolistli, Anfiteatro El Zócalo, Anfiteatro V.I. Lenin, Teatro de Chopo); Spain (Fundación March, Teatro Español de Madrid, Gran Teatro Manuel de Falla, Plaza de la Porticada); France (Teatro Rond Point, Museo de Arte Moderno, Sala Principal del Centro George Pompidou, Gran Palais Royal). As a soloist and also with his group, he has performed on stages in Canada, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, Italy, Russia, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, among others.

He has given lectures and master classes at universities, research centers, and other cultural institutions in the countries visited. DISCOGRAPHY: CUERDAS CUBANAS (album for the XXth Anniversary of his stage debut) HOMENAJES (EGREM Award 1997) VISIONES GRUPO DE EXPERIMENTACIÓN SONORA DEL ICAI (Five Volumes) CD PICTURES 350 Postcards about Cuba TRAVESÍA (CUBADISCO Award 2000) SERGIO VITIER/MARTHA VALDÉS: NUESTRA CANCIÓN SERGIO VITIER: CONCIERTO HABANERO (Symphonic Music)

He was awarded the "Por la Cultura Nacional" Distinction and the Alejo Carpentier Medal. His work has been recognized by important national and foreign institutions. Awards granted: 1999. "Alejo Carpentier" Medal – 2004. "Félix Varela" Order

Victim of a stroke, he died in April 2016. Vitier leaves a valuable legacy of recordings and compositions that constitute an interpretation of Cuba, its roots and sounds.

Source: Cubarte