Order of Knight of the Arts and Letters for Flutist Niurka González

March 22, 2022

Cuban flutist and clarinetist Niurka González Núñez received on Saturday the Order of Knight of the Arts and Letters, awarded by the Minister of Culture of the French Republic. It was presented by the Ambassador of France in Havana, Patrice Paoli, at the concert commemorating the 25th anniversary of Duo Ondina –which she performs in with pianist María del Henar Navarro García– and her 45th birthday, both celebrations held at the Minor Basilica of the Convent of San Francisco de Asís, in Old Havana.

Niurka González Núñez, flutist and soloist of the "Concert Music Center" of Cuba was decorated with the insignia of Knight of the Arts and Letters by the Ambassador of France in Cuba, Patrice Paoli, during a ceremony organized on Saturday, March 19, 2022 at the Basilica of San Francisco de Asís, on the occasion of a concert performed by the artist.

Since her meeting in 1995 with French master Alain Marion, who was her mentor, her ties with French culture, and in particular with the French school of flute, have been illustrated as a common thread throughout her career. In 1996 she received a scholarship from the Embassy of France in Cuba to enter the Superior Conservatory of Paris (CNR), from which she obtained the First Prize in 1997. Her albums "Flauta Virtuosa" (2002) and "Habana-París" (2018), are entirely dedicated to representative works of French music repertoire for flute and piano, reinterpreted in light of contemporary cultural context.

Upon presenting the decoration, the Ambassador of France in Cuba stated:

Presentation of the insignia of Knight of the Arts and Letters
to Niurka González
Saturday, March 19, 2022 at 6:00 p.m.
Concert at the Basilica of San Francisco de Asís

Dear Niurka González,
Dear friends of music:

We gather today at the Basilica of San Francisco de Asís to pay
tribute to flutist Niurka González. We have chosen the moment of this
concert, between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Quartet in D Major and
Leo Brouwer's Spring Sonata, a Cuban composer and orchestra
conductor to whom I had the honor of awarding the decoration of Arts
and Letters three years ago, to distinguish, Niurka, the contribution
you make to the prestige of the Arts and Letters in France and in
the world.

Since your meeting in 1995 with your mentors, French masters
Alain Marion, Sophie Cherrier, Claudi Arimany and Andras Adorjan,
you have continued developing your ties with France, following the
tradition of the French school of flute.

France has been honored throughout your career by your notable
passage through the Paris Conservatory, from which you obtained first
prize in 1997.

You have also made numerous presentations in France, such as a
Francis Poulenc concert series, or performances with the Rouen Opera
Orchestra dedicated to Charles Gounod.

Your participation in the French Concert at the Habana Clásica
festival in 2018, in the Album Presentation Concert Habana-Paris,
and in the Concert l'Heure Exquise - 85 years of French music,
highlight the importance you give to France and French music in your
practice.

Likewise, you entirely dedicated your albums "Flauta Virtuosa"
(2002) and "Habana-París" (2018), to representative works of French
music repertoire for flute and piano, reinterpreted.

Abroad, you are regularly invited as a musician to the most
important festivals and to accompany the most outstanding orchestras
as a soloist in Europe, in Latin America, and also in the United
States, in China and, of course, in France.

The recognition that the entire world professes for you is not
limited to invitations and presentations. You have also won,
among others, numerous prizes, such as the Grand Prize of the
"Amadeo Roldán" competition, in 1991 and 1994, as well as the
Special Mention for best interpretation of Cuban music.

And, in 2002, you recorded your first CD, "Flauta Virtuosa",
with María del Henar Navarro, which won the award for best
"Ópera Prima" at the Cubadisco 2003 competition.

You have known how to place transmission and learning at the
center of your practice, by becoming an auxiliary professor at the
Higher Institute of Art of Cuba. You were also a member of the Jury
of the IV International Flute Competition "Maxence Larrieu" in Nice,
where you likewise taught classes and participated in the Gala
Concert.

It is in this sense that we wished to highlight your tireless and
sustained work carried out in favor of the dissemination and practice
of French music and Cuban music.

To conclude, I would like to clarify that this concert is ultimately
the pretext we longed for, after almost two years of waiting, to bear
witness to France's recognition of you.

Dear Niurka González:
for your commitment, your work and your representative works of
French music repertoire, reinterpreted in light of contemporary
cultural context, in the name of the Minister of Culture of France,
we present to you the insignia of Knight of the Arts and Letters.