MIAMI, United States. – The young Cuban tenor Andrés Sánchez highlighted the differences and challenges of developing an artistic career on the Island compared to Europe in a recent interview with Cuban newspaper.
Sánchez, who worked in Cuba for several years before beginning his career in Spain, was forced to emigrate to seek new opportunities.
“In Cuba all the artists want to work and promote culture, but we don’t have support, there are no resources or money. Good artists are forced to leave our country, cross borders and risk lives to seek new opportunities,” Sánchez shared.
The young man’s arrival in Europe occurred through a cultural exchange and, after several auditions, he now stands out at the Amaya Theater in Spain. In this prestigious setting, the tenor represents Gustavo, the main character in the zarzuela The hawks.
His introduction to the world of music was something fortuitous, he recalls: “It turns out that Ulises Aquino’s mother-in-law exchanged my building. One day she was with my mom, helping her clean up, and I started to sing. Aquino knocked on the door of my house and told my mother that I had the conditions to be an opera singer. He was the one who connected me with the school of the National Lyric Theater of Cuba, where I was trained”.
The tenor made his debut at the age of 24 in the opera Tosca, “classified as difficult by artists such as Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo.” According to critics, his interpretation has been “one of the best Tosca that has been staged in Cuba.”
Sánchez also pointed out the differences he has found between working in Cuba and in Spain: “In Madrid, or anywhere in Europe, everyone loves their job, they believe what they are doing. The producers welcome you with open arms; in Cuba that happens very little,” he said.
The artist also mentioned the shortcomings on the Island: “In Cuba there is mistreatment of the artist, they don’t give him facilities. There are many details; For example, the wardrobe, instead of washing it there, I had to wash it at home. Another issue is the lack of scenery”.
Despite the challenges, Sánchez, who now lives in Madrid with his wife, actress Amanda Oropesa, he maintains determined optimism and works hard to bring his name to the international arena. Regarding his adaptation to life in Spain, he expressed: “Spanish and Cubans have many things in common, but we, the ones who arrived, are the ones who have to get used to life here.”
