Once young musicians, seven days of intense creation, and an experience that will forever mark their careers and lives. This is how the second edition of the National Music Competition was experienced, an initiative that reaffirms its commitment to supporting, highlighting, and empowering the emerging talent of the Cuban music scene.

The week of creative exchanges for the competition, sponsored by the Young Art Fund (FAJ) and UNICEF Cuba, began in Havana on November 17th. From its first day, the contest was conceived as a space for meeting, learning, and intergenerational dialogue. The award-winning teenagers in the three categories, along with their companions, shared with the Deputy Representative of UNICEF in Cuba, Sunny Guidotti; the organizing team; maestro Janio Abreu, a multi-instrumentalist woodwind player and musical director of the event; as well as with winners from the first edition, held in 2024.

The welcome program included a screening of the previous edition's documentary, participatory activities to foster group integration, and the special workshop “The Bond That Inspires: Respectful Parenting for Creative Adolescents,” aimed at mothers, fathers, and guardians. Led by Ms. Nadina Peñalver, a psychologist who supports the project, the session emphasized the importance of family support in the creative and formative processes of young people.

Throughout the week, young musicians participated in an extensive schedule of activities that included collective rehearsals, masterclasses taught by renowned Cuban musicians committed to children, and creative encounters with young beneficiaries who won calls to participate from the FAJ. Beyond instrumental technique, the program focused on the exchange of knowledge, mentorship, and the construction of a strong and supportive artistic community.

Hand in hand with figures like Adel González (percussionist), Roldán Carballoso (lute and tres), Lázaro Rivero “El Fino” (double bass), and Janio Abreu himself, participants explored traditional Cuban sounds, engaging with their roots and understanding music as living heritage, constantly renewed.

On the afternoon of November 23rd, the theater of the National Museum of Fine Arts of Cuba became the stage for the Final Concert of the Second Edition of the National Music Competition, sponsored by FAJ and UNICEF Cuba, with the support of the French Embassy, the French Cooperation, and the UNESCO regional office in Havana.

The audience enjoyed a select repertoire of Cuban music, specially arranged for the occasion by Janio Abreu. The performances by Natalia Hernández and Armando Moreira (guitars); Paola Abreu, Esteban Hernández, Álvaro Pérez, Félix Matos, Arian Gounelas, and Diego Abreu (piano); María Karla Rifat (cello); Darío Cuba (flute), and Vismar Suárez (saxophone) moved the hall with their artistic maturity and interpretive sensitivity.

One of the most significant moments of the evening was the premiere of works composed by the awardees themselves, accompanied by prestigious Cuban musicians such as Roldán Carballoso, Adel González, Lázaro Rivero “El Fino”, Fabio Abreu (drums), Alejandro Falcón (piano), and singer Annys Batista, winner of the FAJ call for creative music projects.

The National Music Competition represents the commitment of FAJ and UNICEF Cuba to promoting culture, fostering encounters between several generations of musicians in a friendly atmosphere of mentoring and mutual development.

An opportunity to coordinate our efforts with those of organizations committed to children and culture for development.