Cuba Mourns the Death of Ildefonso Acosta Escobar

October 17, 2022

In the early hours of today, the prominent musician from Matanzas, Ildefonso Acosta Escobar, passed away in his native city at the age of 83.

A guitarist, composer, and professor, he began his musical training in a self-taught manner. He later studied violin with Cándido Faílde and trumpet with Rafael Somavilla. He also studied with Federico Smith, a American composer who lived in Cuba, and completed his academic training as a guitarist at the Instituto Superior de Arte, as part of the institution's first graduating class in 1981.

His teaching work was particularly significant as a founding professor of the Vocational School of Music and the School of Continuing Education for Professional Musicians in Matanzas.

He worked as a soloist with the Symphony Orchestras of Oriente and Matanzas and with the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba. He performed under the direction of maestros José Antonio Bornot, Zenaida Castro Romeu, Tomás Fortín, Gonzalo Romeu, Guido López-Gavilán, Roberto Sánchez Ferrer, Manuel Duchesne Cuzán, and Electo Silva, among others.

His compositional work, for which he won awards in various national and international competitions, displays a plurality of styles, genres, and tendencies. Notable among these are Penta and 12 para Matanzas, for symphony orchestra, Quinteto para dos Musicaturas Cubanas, for flute, French horn, guitar, cello, and percussion, and the symphonic poem Homenaje al 26, for choir and orchestra.

For his distinguished career, he received recognition including the status of Honorary Member of the UNEAC, Illustrious Son of Matanzas, and more recently, the National Music Prize.

Our deepest condolences to his family and friends.