The Fondo de Arte Joven (FAJ), the Museo Nacional de la Música and the maestro Guido López-Gavilán, are honored to announce the presentation of the book Symphonic orchestral conducting and its expression in Cubaby the prestigious musician, next Saturday, May 31 at 4:00 p.m., at the museum's headquarters, located at Capdevila No. 1, between Habana and Aguiar, Old Havana.

The volume, the result of maestro López-Gavilán's doctoral research at the University of the Arts of Cuba (ISA), was previously presented during the V edition of the Habana Clásica International Festival in December 2023 and later at the Havana International Book Fair in February 2024. On this occasion, the FAJ and the National Museum of Music join forces to highlight once again its relevance, emphasizing the importance of the work as an editorial and formative reference in the field of orchestral conducting in Cuba.

Symphonic orchestral conducting and its expression in Cuba offers a historical journey from the founding of the first symphony orchestra in Cuba in 1922 to the centennial of this event in 2022. In addition to addressing the milestones of orchestral conducting on the island, combining historical perspective, technical foundation and conceptual reflection, the book provides essential repertoires for the training of future orchestra conductors.

Throughout its three chapters, conceived as musical movements, it develops a progression that goes from the universal theoretical principles of the specialty, to a chronological analysis of its evolution in Cuba and a precise systematization of the gestural and expressive resources of the profession. With a clear language and applicable tools, it is proposed as a training manual and patrimonial document for the teaching and practice of music in Cuba.

With a prologue by maestro Daiana García -one of the most relevant orchestra conductors of the current Cuban music scene-, this work is the first systematic study on orchestral conducting in the country.

The edition was developed and financed by FAJ, in collaboration with Aurelia Ediciones and two young visual artists from the platform's network: Yasser Fonseca and Giselle Lucía Navarro, both of whom were winners of the call for designers and visual artists, launched by the Fund, to accompany the identity and provide depth to the editorial design of this issue.

During the ceremony, copies will be delivered to the museum's archive, in a gesture that supports the ongoing distribution to key entities in the music sector, in order to ensure that future musicians and orchestra conductors have access to this valuable educational resource and historical reference. It also underscores the value of this material as a heritage reference of music in Cuba, reaffirming the commitment of both institutions to the promotion and preservation of Cuba's musical heritage, as well as to the training of new generations.

Maestro Guido López-Gavilán has left an indelible mark on Cuban music, not only for his prolific career as a composer and conductor, but also for his tireless pedagogical work. Graduated in Choral Conducting from the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory in 1966 and in Orchestral Conducting from the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow in 1973, he has trained several generations of musicians at Cuba's University of the Arts (ISA), where he was head of the Orchestral Conducting Department. His influence extends through outstanding disciples such as Daiana García, Iván del Prado, Enrique Pérez Mesa and Anarelys Garriga. A legacy that he enriches with his musical family: his sons, pianist Aldo López-Gavilán and violinist Ilmar López-Gavilán, who continue his artistic and educational tradition.

Symphonic orchestral conducting and its expression in Cuba is available for online consultation at FAJ websiteThe program offers a valuable tool for students, professionals and music lovers.

Guido and Aldo López-Gavilán, as well as Daiana García, are part of the musical jury of the FAJ, in a collaboration that honors and accompanies this consolidated pedagogical trajectory.

YOUNG ART FUND

Founded in 2023 on the initiative of Lorenzo Suárez -general producer of the Habana Clásica International Festival- the Young Art Fund has established itself as a cultural platform dedicated to supporting emerging artists and cultural entrepreneurs from the Global South.

Since its founding in January 2023, the organization has accompanied young emerging artists and cultural enterprises in the realization of their professional projects, through its public calls for proposals with various funding opportunities for projects. It has also promoted record productions, publications, research, training workshops, concerts, international academic residency programs, and collaborations with institutions inside and outside the island.

This work has made it possible to promote careers, generate real opportunities and consolidate training and projection networks for young artists, consolidating an effective articulation of artistic excellence, territorial inclusion, advanced training and international cooperation in favor of young art.

Among its main initiatives in the field of music, FAJ participated in the founding of the Youth Orchestral Academy of the Orchestra of the Lyceum of Havana, of the Office of the Historian of the City. It is also the entity responsible for the Habana Clásica International Festival, created and artistically directed by pianist Marcos Madrigal, distinguished in 2025 with the Order of Knight of the Arts and Letters of France.