Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.José Ardévol and Roberto Valera at the
Instituto Superior de Arte The University of Arts of Cuba / Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) was established on 1 September 1976, by the Cuban government as a school for the arts. Its original structure had three schools: Music, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts.
History
T ...
As a composer, Piñera has received numerous commissions to write original music for theater plays such as Il Piacere, Amor con amor se paga and La taza de café. He has also closely collaborated with dance companies such as Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, Conjunto Folklórico Nacional, Danza del Caribe, Danza Combinatoria and the
National Ballet of Cuba
The Cuban National Ballet () is a classical ballet company based at Great Theatre of Havana in Havana, Cuba, founded by the Cuban prima ballerina assoluta, Alicia Alonso in 1948. The official school of the company is the Cuban National Ballet S ...
, for which he has composed the original music of three ballets.Laboratorio Nacional de Música Electroacúsitca. Juan Piñera. http://www.electroacustica.cult.cu/index.php?view=article&catid=48:compositores&id=62:juan-pinera&option=com_content&Itemid=59&lang=es He has also produced and directed a weekly radio program dedicated to promote contemporary music.
Work
Juan Piñera has created an ample catalog that include numerous compositions for soloists, symphonic, chamber and vocal ensembles, as well as music for TV programs, movies and didactical purposes. He was one of the founders of the Cuban Laboratorio Nacional de Música Electroacúsitica,Laboratorio Nacional de Música Electroacúsitica. http://www.electroacustica.cult.cu/ where he has composed an extensive list of pieces that include: “Pirandelliana”, for sound tape and two actors, “Tres de Dos”, “Imago”, for guitar and sound tape, “Germinal”, “Cuando el Aura es Aurea, o la muy triste historia de de los ocho minutos con treinta y ocho segundos” (for soprano sax and sound tape), “Pampano y Cascabel”, for guitar and sound tape and “Opus 28 No.1, o de la Gota de Agua”, for sound tape.
Awards
Among many others, Piñera has received two awards (for symphonic and electroacoustic compositions) from the
National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba
The National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (Unión Nacional de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba, UNEAC) is a social, cultural and professional organization of writers, musicians, actors, painters, sculptors, and artist of different genres. I ...
(UNEAC) and the First award in the Experimental Music International Competition of Bourges, in 1984.
See also
Music of Cuba
The music of Cuba, including its instruments, performance, and dance, comprises a large set of unique traditions influenced mostly by west African and European (especially Spanish) music. Due to the syncretic nature of most of its genres, Cuban ...