Cuban trovador Ireno García passed away in Havana

August 31, 2023

Cuban trovador Ireno García passed away in Havana, victim of a painful illness.

Ireno García was born in the City of Havana on September 24, 1954. He was one of those trovadores with magnificent work that has endured for several decades, for his sensitivity and that legendary fervor with which he sang to life, to everyday life and to the small offerings of love. A minstrel who sustained a very solid and credible body of work, with a power of conviction recognized in the field of singer-songwriter music and among his followers.

He shared stages, recorded and collaborated with most of the exponents of song and trova in Cuba: Silvio Rodríguez, Carlos Varela, Marta Campos, Santiago Feliú and Polito Ibáñez, among many others.

To his credit as a composer is the creation, together with Mike Porcell, of the anthem for the World Festival of Youth and Students held in Cuba. In the 1980s, he participated in a program that promoted young composers, where Silvio Rodríguez defended his piece "Canción para recordar a María" and for which he received an award.

Owner of a solid repertoire with deeply beautiful songs, in which stories of great human depth slip through such as Querencias, Peticiones, Lejanía, A la deriva, La rueda de la suerte, Fábula de mayo, La fuente, Ahora, María Fernanda, Baladas de fin de marzo and the popular Andar La Habana, they were a delight to the Cuban public.

The Pablo de la Torriente Brau Cultural Center was one of the most cherished refuges for this Havana-born trovador, which allowed him to perform in spaces such as "A guitarra limpia" and record albums full of memorable songs, together with jam sessions, alongside actress Coralia Veloz.

"The work of this trovador represents an excellent sample of talent and sensitivity".

He was a member of UNEAC and for his merits received the Distinction for National Culture, the Alejo Carpentier Medal and the 50th Anniversary Medal of the Foundation of the Nueva Trova.

Cuban Institute of Music