The Cuban singer-songwriter, composer and producer Amaury Pérez Vidal was awarded this Monday with the 2025 National Music Prize, one of the most important recognitions granted to musical creation in Cuba. as reported the Cuban Institute of Music (ICM).
Born in Havana on December 26, 1953, Amaury Pérez is the son of Amaury Pérez García and Consuelo Vidal, emblematic figures of Cuban culture. Throughout his extensive career he has developed a multifaceted work as a singer-songwriter, guitarist, poet, radio and television host, record producer, screenwriter and show director, establishing himself as one of the most relevant composers of the second half of the 20th century on the island.
Founding member of the Nueva Trova Movement, his musical creation has gone through various sonorities, with songs that dialogue with jazz, pop and rock, and a more recent line focused on romantic songs. Part of his work includes the setting to music of poems by Cuban authors such as José Martí and Nicolás Guillén, as well as international poets including Miguel Hernández and Antonio Machado.
Amaury Pérez: “I do not hope, nor dream, with late successes”
From an early age he showed an inclination for art. In 1963 he composed the anthem of his primary school, Augusto César Sandino, and began his work as an actor in children’s programs on Cuban Television. His musical training was initially self-taught: he learned to play the guitar and wrote his first songs before joining, in the 1970s, the creative environment of Nueva Trova, after meeting figures such as Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés, Sara González and Noel Nicola.
In recognition of his artistic career, Amaury Pérez previously received the Félix Varela Order, one of the highest cultural distinctions awarded in Cuba.
The awarding of the 2025 National Music Prize took place this Monday morning, with the presence of Indira Fajardo, president of the Cuban Institute of Music, members of its Board of Directors and representatives of the press.
The jury was chaired by Digna Guerra, 2006 National Music Prize, and integrated by José María Vitier, 2021 National Music Prize; the musicologist Martha Bonet; the composer, producer and choral director Beatriz Corona; and the musician César López.
