MIAMI, United States. – The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in the United States, will pay tribute to the Cuban composer Tania León in December of this year, the institution announced this Thursday in a press release.
Along with the Cuban artist, the actor and filmmaker George Clooney, the Christian singer-songwriter Amy Grant, the soul, gospel, R&B and pop singer Gladys Knight and the Irish rock band U2 will also receive tributes for their achievements.
The president of the Kennedy Center, David M. Rubenstein, defined Tania León as “a brave and young Cuban refugee turned composer Pulitzer Prize winner and music ambassador.
He also said that the artist “has blessed the United States for more than five decades with her amazingly original compositions and continues to be a great influence on classical music.”
Throughout its 44-year history, the annual Kennedy Center Honors Gala has become a highlight of Washington’s cultural and social calendar.
Artists who receive Kennedy Center Honors are recognized for their contributions to American culture through the performing arts, whether in music, dance, theater, opera, film, or television.
In 2021, León received the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Music for his piece “Stride”.
Tania León: it has been “difficult” to bring a story of racism to an opera
Born on May 14, 1943, Tania León grew up with the aspiration to be “a concert pianist”. Over the years, she won competitions that reinforced her reputation as a talented pianist, who would also end up studying Accounting.
“It was part of the armor with which I more or less went out into the world thinking that I was going to continue my studies as a pianist and travel the world, which I wanted to do and, above all, I wanted to do something that would give me the possibility of having a better finances and thus help my family. We are or were at that time a very poor family and I was very aware of the sacrifice that my family was making for my brother’s and mine’s studies, “he told Radio Television Marti.
“Up to a certain point it helped me a lot because the first job I had in New York was precisely in the office of a women’s clothing factory. And since I knew how to operate adding machines and accounting machines and make account statements, well, that was my first job. To this day I still have my number tag as an employee of that place,” she added.
The specialized portal Scherzo points out that Tania León settled in the United States in 1967. There she studied composition with Úrsula Mamlok and also perfected her orchestral direction with Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa.
Two years later she would become the first music director of Arthur Miller’s Harlem Dance Theater, where she established a music department, music school and orchestra. For this company she composed the music of the ballet haikus in 1973, and Bethboth with Geoffrey Holder.
Receive information from CubaNet on your cell phone through WhatsApp. Send us a message with the word “CUBA” on the phone +1 (786) 316-2072, You can also subscribe to our electronic newsletter by giving click here.
