Gastón Joya and Idania Valdés Bring Cuban Music Before King Felipe VI of Spain

April 19, 2026

Cuban double bassist and composer Gastón Joya and singer Idania Valdés closed the gala of the Premio Princesa de Girona Internacional in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, on Thursday, April 16, as part of the Tour del Talento 2026. The event, attended by King Felipe VI of Spain, drew more than 1,200 guests to the Instituto de Educación Secundaria Antonio Machado and was broadcast live on YouTube.

Joya, chosen as the invited artist for the evening, performed pieces from his audiovisual production Hijo de la Villa, a work that pays tribute to the musical traditions of the Havana neighborhood of Guanabacoa. He was joined by Idania Valdés — a celebrated voice of the Buena Vista Social Club — pianist Miguel "Wiwi" García, conguero Noslén Ortega Sánchez, and Spanish drummer Rodrigo Ballesteros. At the end of the performance, King Felipe briefly greeted the musicians and exchanged a few words with them.

The highlight of the night came with the rendition of El Manisero, the beloved son by Moisés Simons, which drew a rousing ovation. "In the presence of King Felipe VI of Spain, El Manisero by Moisés Simons rang out, and together we lifted Cuban traditional music once again to where it deserves to be," Idania Valdés wrote on social media alongside a video of the performance. The Fundación Princesa de Girona organized more than sixty activities as part of the Tour del Talento, aimed at supporting the development of young Ibero-American talent in culture, science, and sport.