Roberto Valera Chamizo (b. Havana, 1938) is a Cuban composer and pedagogue that has a made a substantial contribution to the development of
music in Cuba.
[The living composers project. Roberto Valera. http://www.composers21.com/compdocs/valerar.htm]
Academic formation
Roberto Valera initiates its music studies in 1948 with professors Waldina Cortina, Ñola Sahig,
José Ardévol
José Ardévol (13 March 1911, in Barcelona – 7 January 1981, in Havana) was a Cuban composer and conductor of Spanish derivation.
As a child, Ardévol studied under his father, Fernando, who was a musician and conductor. He emigrated to Cub ...
, Edgardo Martín and
Leo Brouwer
Juan Leovigildo Brouwer Mezquida (born March 1, 1939) is a Cuban composer, conductor, and classical guitarist. He is a Member of Honour of the International Music Council.
Family
He is the grandson of Cuban composer Ernestina Lecuona y Casado. ...
in the Municipal Conservatory of Havana, where he also received singing lessons from soprano Zoila Gálvez in 1956. By 1965 Valera studied in Poland with renowned composers
Witold Rudzinski and
Andrzej Dobrowolski. He also received a degree in education from the Escuela Normal para Maestros in Havana, and a PhD in pedagogy from the
University of Havana
The University of Havana or (UH, ''Universidad de La Habana'') is a university located in the Vedado district of Havana, the capital of the Republic of Cuba. Founded on January 5, 1728, the university is the oldest in Cuba, and one of the firs ...
.
Professional activity
At the request of composer
Leo Brouwer
Juan Leovigildo Brouwer Mezquida (born March 1, 1939) is a Cuban composer, conductor, and classical guitarist. He is a Member of Honour of the International Music Council.
Family
He is the grandson of Cuban composer Ernestina Lecuona y Casado. ...
, Roberto Valera worked from 1961 to 1965 as a musical advisor at the
Instituto Cubano del Arte y la Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC), starting also a career as a film composer.
After returning from Poland, Valera was appointed as director of The Alejandro García Caturla Conservatory in Marianao, Havana, and in 1968 he became Head of Harmony and Contemporary Techniques at the National School of Arts Music School.
[Orovio, Helio. Cuban music from A to Z. Tumi Music Ltd. Bath, UK. 2004. P.222.]
In 1976, Roberto Valera began a long term association with the
Instituto Superior de Arte The University of Arts of Cuba / Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) was established on September 1, 1976, by the Cuban government as a school for the arts. Its original structure had three schools: Music, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts.
History
...
(ISA), serving as Dean and professor of composition, orchestration and contemporary techniques. He also founded the school’s Electroacoustic Music Studio.
Valera has also held different positions on the executive board of
Unión Nacional de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC), including a term as President of its Music Section from 1990 to 1992.
Work
Roberto Valera has composed an extensive catalog that includes music for soloists, chamber ensembles orchestra, and choir, as well as for numerous ballets, cartoons and films. Following a select list of Valeras works: The living composers project.
* Orchestral: Devenir, 1969; Concierto por la Paz, saxophone, orchestra, 1985; Extraplan, 1990; Yugo y estrella, 1995; Concierto de Cojimar, guitar, orchestra, 1998; Non divisi, string orchestra, 1999
* Chamber music: String Quartet, 1967; Tres Impertinencias, ensemble, 1971; Tierra de sol, cielo y tierra, ensemble, 1993; Glosas del tiempo recobrado, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 1994
* Choral: Ire a Santiago, mixed chorus, 1969; Cuatro Poemas de Nicolás Guillén, soprano, mixed chorus, orchestra, 2001
* Vocal: Conjuro, soprano, orchestra, 1968
* Piano: Doce Estudios Caribeños, 2002; Van Gogh's Blues Ear, 2002; Cuento Sonoro, 2004
* Electroacoustic: Ajiaco, tape, 1990; Palmas, tape, 1992; Periodo espacial, tape, 1993; Loa del camino, tape, 1999; Las Sombras no Abandonan, tape, 2000
Awards
Among many recognitions, Roberto Valera has received the following:
* First Prize, Competition of the Cuban Ministry of Culture, 1985 (for Concierto por la Paz)
* National Award, UNEAC, 1989 (for his entire oeuvre)
* The Alejo Carpentier Medal
* The Félix Varela Medal
* The National Culture Award of the Cuban Council of the State
* The Ministry of Higher Education has also awarded him for his contribution to Cuban education
Other honors include
* The Basse Terre Medal in Guadeloupe
* The José Maria Heredia Medal of the province of Santiago (Cuba)
* The Karol Szymanowski Medal of the Polish Ministry of Art and Culture
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 mu ...
References
External links
YouTube. Coralina: Iré a Santiago by Roberto Valera. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vASXqSS-LEA
YouTube. La lenta noche en tus ojos by Roberto Valera. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k7FUAhysts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valera, Roberto
Cuban composers
Male composers
1938 births
Living people
Academic staff of the Instituto Superior de Arte
Academic staff of the National Art Schools (Cuba)
Cuban male musicians