Cuban Violinist, Singer and Composer Martha Duarte Dies in Switzerland

September 4, 2026

Cuban violinist, singer and composer Martha Duarte died on August 28, 2026, in Switzerland, where she had lived for years and continued teaching violin master classes and promoting Cuban music. Duarte was the first woman to graduate in the violin specialty from Cuba's Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA), and went on to serve as first violin in the orchestras of Havana's Gran Teatro for its ballet and opera seasons.

Over the course of her career she performed with the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional and the group Arte Vivo before founding her own ensembles: Vidrio y Corte, in 1990, and Martha Duarte y Sarabanda, in 1993, with which she recorded the 2001 album "Mulata de espalda," made up entirely of her own compositions. She worked closely with Pablo Milanés and Silvio Rodríguez, transcribing their complete works for violin — Milanés's was published in Spain in 1999 — and composed music for theater, ballet and film, including work on Humberto Solás's film "El siglo de las luces."

Cuban music historian Rosa Marquetti described her as "a warrior... as a musician, professional, rigorous, one of the first women violinists to give the instrument real prominence," while Silvio Rodríguez himself remembered her as "as loving as always. Unforgettable Marta Duarte." Duarte also took part in 1997 in the collective feat that set the Guinness World Record for the longest son ever performed.