Troubadour from Santiago receives Distinction for National Culture

Alejandro Almenares, composer and guitarist from Santiago, received the Distinction for National Culture in this city, during the 58th edition of the “Pepe Sánchez” International Trova Festival.

LázaroExpósito and Beatriz Johnson, president and vice president of the Provincial Defense Council respectively, presented the recognition to the outstanding artist, whose life he dedicated - and still does - to safeguarding the troubadour tradition.

Almenares thanked the gesture of the cultural institutions, the authorities of the territory and the followers of his work who accompanied him in the emblematic Casa de la Trova, located in the crowded Heredia Street, to celebrate the distinction.

Owner of a vast repertoire of authorship, the 83-year-old Maestro stands out for his interpretations of tres and requinto, instruments that differentiate his solo work, with various groups and alongside renowned artists with whom he shared the scene.

The merit responds to the humility and sensitivity with which Almenares promotes and enriches the musical roots of a genre cradled in Santiago de Cuba, and defended in other parts of the country and the world.

The Siboney Studios of the Music Recordings and Editions Company (Egrem) awarded the Award for Musical Excellence for the work of life to Almenares, rewarding him for his contributions to Santiago and Cuban culture.

The event paid tribute in its recently concluded 58th edition to Alejandro Almenares, bearer of a particular style of playing, singing and feeling this bohemian genre, one of the greatest inheritances of his father Ángel, considered one of its most important cultists in the town and founder, along with others, from Virgilio's former coffee house, now Casa de la Trova.