They celebrate in Cuba the centenary of the renowned composer Ñico Rojas

August 6, 2021

Last August 3rd marked the centennial of the birth of musician José Antonio Rojas, and for this occasion, various cultural institutions joined forces in order to pay tribute to this legend of Cuban culture through a day of celebrations.

As announced at a press conference, the alliance among diverse institutions, with the support of the artist's family members, known as Ñico Rojas, made possible the organization of the program of activities in tribute to his legacy.

These organizations are: the Instituto Cubano de la Música (ICM) and the Centro Nacional de Música de Concierto (CNMC), along with the Museo de la Música, the Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de la Música Cubana (CIDMUC), the Empresa de Grabaciones y Ediciones Musicales (EGREM) and the Chair of Popular Music of the Escuela Nacional de Música (ENM).

According to the director of the CNMC, among the actions for the centennial day, it was planned for important exponents of music to participate in audiovisuals performing Rojas' works, among them: Beatriz Márquez, Bárbara Llanes, Rolando Luna, Ahmed Dickinson, José Portillo and the Cuarteto Amadeo Roldán.

Two concerts are also being offered, on August 3rd and 6th, respectively, by Canal Clave, in the space Música de concierto: más cerca de ti.

Both from EGREM and the Asociación de Músicos de la Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC), a promotional campaign was carried out, while the CIDMUC presented a dossier on its digital blog Del canto y el tiempo.

The musicologist from that research center, Yurien Heredia, noted that the thematic dossier is composed of texts that address Ñico's work with the guitar and also aspects of his personal life.

Liety Ramos, musicologist of the Museo Nacional de la Música, shared that they will hold a day of presentations and will put two books up for sale: Ñico Rojas, by Ivón Peñalver; and Obras para guitarra. Transcription by Martín Pedreira.

Due to the relevance and contribution of both volumes to study in art schools, Ramos expressed that for the museum it is a pleasure to say that they have been the driving force behind those books.

Ñico Rojas, who holds the Orden Félix Varela, the Alejo Carpentier and the Distinción por la Cultura Nacional, stood out for his unprecedented way of composing instrumental music.

A graduate engineer, and without academic studies in music, he managed to place his creative style on the border between the classical and the popular, with the use of different Cuban rhythms.