President Obama鈥檚 recent visit to Cuba will by coincidence be the prelude to a month-long residency at Otterbein University next month by one of Cuba鈥檚 most celebrated musicians, as well as to the world premiere of a Cuban musical work and a series of concerts and master classes exploring Cuban music.
Throughout the month of April, noted Cuban pianist and composer Jos茅 Mar铆a Vitier will give performances and lead master classes as artist-in-residence in an exploration of Cuban arts. The residency is part of , a three-year, university-wide initiative to explore diverse regions of the world by way of cultural dialogue.
鈥淗e鈥檚 arguably (Cuba鈥檚) most celebrated jazz pianist and musical score composer today,鈥� said Otterbein University provost Miguel Martinez-Saenz in a recent phone interview.
Otterbein鈥檚 Cuban arts exploration and the broader concept for Opening Doors to the World began to emerge during the months before that the U.S. would be 鈥渘ormalizing鈥� its relations with Cuba. The Otterbein initiative is the result of Martinez-Saenz鈥檚 idea to begin a .
鈥淏ecause of all this conversation about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), I thought it was critical to have also an emphasis on the arts,鈥� said Martinez-Saenz, an American of Cuban descent.
Intrigued by both Cuban social protest artists in exile and Cuban artists who have remained on the island, Martinez-Saenz says he wanted to start a conversation about art and politics by, in essence, experiencing the work of artists in both camps side by side. This goal resulted initially in An Island Apart: Cuban Artists in Exile, a series of visual and performing art exhibitions, films and master classes that unfolded at Otterbein in January and February. The work and careers of those Cuban artists in exile will be set in relief against the work of Jos茅 Mar铆a Vitier, an artist who lives and works in Cuba but also travels the world, during Vitier鈥檚 Otterbein residency.
鈥�(Vitier) travels internationally. He actually has dual citizenship with Spain. What I wanted to do was use the arts to create space for conversation, a conversation that wouldn鈥檛 be so facile,鈥� Martinez-Saenz said. 鈥淪o it鈥檚, Why are these artists in exile? It doesn鈥檛 make sense. Wait a second, why does this guy live in Havana still? Why does he get to travel and go back?鈥�
These are questions with few, if any, easy answers, questions that Martinez-Saenz knows will cause some to wrestle with them.
鈥淓verything we鈥檙e trying to do is a social-political commentary, but it鈥檚 a commentary that leaves open the resolution,鈥� Martinez-Saenz said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to have to struggle to figure out, How does this make sense? That鈥檚 what I think our obligation is: to raise the question.鈥�
will culminate in a performance of his Misa Cubana featuring Vitier at the piano and the Westerville Symphony, the Otterbein University combined choirs and Capriccio Columbus, 5 p.m. April 24, at Otterbein University鈥檚 Fritsche Theatre. Dennis Davenport, chair of Otterbein Univeristy鈥檚 Music Department, says Vitier鈥檚 Misa Cubana is an ideal work for performing forces from within and beyond Otterbein and will likely please listeners throughout the broader community.
鈥淲e looked closely at the score and recording (of Misa Cubana) to see if it would be a good fit for our choirs and for our audience and for the Westerville Symphony. And after consultation for a couple of weeks, we thought, You know, this is really going to be a great piece. It鈥檚 tuneful and it鈥檚 accessible and it鈥檚 very Cuban. It鈥檚 just a very vibrant, beautiful piece,鈥� Davenport said.
Events leading up to the April 24 performance of Vitier鈥檚 Misa Cubana include the Otterbein University String Orchestra鈥檚 world premiere of Vitier鈥檚 Laberintos on a concert also featuring music inspired by South America, April 10, 7:30 p.m., at Westerville鈥檚 Grace Lutheran Church. A Cuban jazz concert at the Columbus Museum of Art on April 3 at 3 p.m., master classes with Otterbein composition students at 5 p.m. on April 6 and 13 at Otterbein鈥檚 Battelle Fine Arts Center and a recital of Cuban music performed by mezzo-soprano Olga Perez-Flora and other musicians at Otterbein鈥檚 Riley Auditorium, April 16 at 8 p.m., are also open to the public.
In light of President Obama鈥檚 recent visit to Cuba, the timing of Vitier鈥檚 residency at Otterbein and the university鈥檚 exploration of Cuban music is remarkable.
鈥淣ow, of course, there鈥檚 huge interest in Cuban music and cultural exchange and the president鈥檚 recent visit to Cuba and everything else that鈥檚 going on. It鈥檚 just a really, really exciting time to be exploring Cuban art, Cuban culture, Cuban everything.鈥�
