JotaCruz wins Prizes in First Photonature Contest

By Amauris Betancourt.

Juan Miguel Cruz Gómez, JotaCruz, won the first and second prizes in the First Photonature Contest, Holguín 2009, while Raciel Cruz Peña, from the new generation of photographers, got the third award, made public during the inauguration ceremony at the Electa Arenal ward from the city Art Center. The series Life in the Birama Wet Lowland, by JotaCruz, depicts –in excellent compositions, from different angles and in the right moment- different places and species from Birama Wet Lowland at the province of Granma. Biodiversity, the second rewarded piece by the same creator, approaches, in portraits, endemic birds from the area of Cupeycillo, located at the municipality of Gibara. The photographer feasts on the beauty and charisma of these endemic birds turning the area into a meeting place for scientists, photographers, painters, naturalists and birders.

Raciel Cruz Peña got the third award with Equilibrium, where he goes beyond the natural hedonism of our Cuban fauna and the use of good photographic technique, to a symbiotic message of communion between human beings and animals on Earth. The jury board, presided by Nils Navarro and made up besides of photographers Amaurys González and Juan Pablo Carreras, awarded too four Mentions: Carlos Alberto Ferrá for A day after, and to Luis Catalá Gurri, William Lucas Rodríguez and Alexander Sánchez Rivas for their works Hope Nets, The alert spectator and First Steps, respectively.

Nils Navarro, the photocontest president, decided to acknowled the support from Trimagen and Photo Service in the printing process. He also stated his desire to have a yearly Photonature Contest to call society’s eye on the protection of the environment and the Cuban flora and fauna.

The exhibit hosts 61 photographic works from 32 professional and amateur photographers including visual art students. It will be open to the public for a month and will be shown next in Gibara during The Community Festival “Protecting Birds” from May 18 to 24 sponsored by several national and international institutions.

Holguín Closes Successfully Classical Music Festival

Text and photos: Amauris Betancourt.

The large audience packing the Ismaelillo movie-theater to enjoy the closing ceremony of the XXVI Classical Music Festival approves the claim of having a concert hall, in the building currently, in Holguín city. Several people could enjoy the concert but had no seats in a room that turned out too small for such a Festival held yearly.

However, such a statement is not based on space availability but on the growing quality of Holguín musicians, ranked among the best nationwide, according to some noted figures attending the Festival like Frank Fernandez, Honorary President, maestro Guido Lopez-Gavilán, vice-president, and the absent guitarist Leo Brower, National Movie Prize.

The event’s closing ceremony started with a special tribute to pianist Frank Fernandez, born in the city of Mayarí, Holguin province.

The Holguín Symphonic Orchestra (OSH in Spanish), headed by Orestes Saavedra, opened the musical banquet with the interpretation of Vals Cubano (Cuban Waltz).

Then the OSH invited Colombian cellist Laura Ospina first and Italian clarinet player Ivan Petruzziello later to play with.

The OSH’s general director, Harold Ricardo Corella, had already praised Petruzziello in a press conference: “He is young but very talented."

Mexico joined in with maestro Marco Natanael Espinosa as director and soprano Alejandra Lopez who interpreted “Piensa en mi” (Think of me) by Mexican composer Agustin Lara.

Then Alejandra sang “Jurame” (Swear), accompanied by Cuban tenor Yunior Galano, a piece by also Mexican composer Maria Greever. Maestro Natanael Espinosa was given a warm welcome by the audience.

The Gala had an excellent closing with maestro Guido Lopez-Gavilan’s Guagancó, Orfeón Holguin and the Codanza dance company dancing it.

"Music has been without a doubt the queen of the Classical Music Festival in Holguin…," said Jorge Luis Sanchez Grass, the artistic general director. Each edition overcomes precedent ones, and ideas and dreams hardly stop but go on far from being utopian. Let’s see what will happen next year.

Then we are in debt with Harold Ricardo Corella, one of the most important figures in the organization of the event these last years. God willing, we will have more room next year, because the La Periquera Museum is too small for such a big event as the the Classical Music Festival.

Tribute to Cuban pianist Frank Fernández

Text and photos: Amauris Betancourt.

Cuban Pianist Frank Fernández was paid homage to at the La Periquera Solenm Hall as one of the activities of the XXVI National Classical Music Concert Festival, for his half a century of artistic life accompanied by success nationally and internationally.The Orfeón Holguín Choir played two works: “Vertigo of rain”, Frank's text and music by Guido López Gavilán, and “Dream that sings the breeze.”The Pizzicato Quartet played a version of Ausencia, written by A. Villalón.Next soprano Norkristián García sang The Afternoon from Sindo Garay.Karla Martínez, to the piano, and Frank Ernesto Fernández at the oboe.Harold Ricardo joined in with his violin with Sequence of Solitude and Rebirth in January, this last a homage to the Cuban Revolution by Frank Fernández.The Holguín Chamber Orchestra, Karla, Frank Ernesto, and Ellis Regina in Adagio for the Oboe, Cello, Cuerdas and organ from G. Zipolli.At the end the Raúl Gómez García art school infantile choir closed.A special Recognition was given to Frank: “Things like these can not be thanked with words”, he said filled with emotion, heading for the piano and did it in the language he knows better.