Thirty five US choir directors are meeting their Cuban counterparts at a symposium that has just kicked off in the Cuban capital to continue a cultural exchange that started in 2011.

Sponsored by the National Concert Music Center and the American Choral Directors Association, the meeting began with a concert at the San Felipe Neri Concert Hall by the Cuban National Choir and the Cardinal Singer Choir.

Concert Music Center assistant director, Madelaine Masses, said the event is making a contribution to break the silence and distance between both countries. Cuban groups such as Havana’s Chamber Choir, Exaudi, Vocal Leo and Sine Nomine are sharing stage with similar U.S. groups until Wednesday.

The visitors will perform and hold workshops for students from the Higher Institute for the Arts and the National Music School. Many Cuban choir directors attended lectures by the American Choral Directors Association in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle in February and April.

The island has been welcoming U.S. musicians, choirs, and university dance and theater groups, such as St. Paul and Yale College Choirs and the New Amsterdam Singers in New York.

Share this article