Each October, Santiago de Cuba fills with harmony during the Festival Internacional de Coros, a celebration that has welcomed choirs from across the world since 1961. More than just a concert series, it is a living tradition that reflects Cuba’s deep choral roots and Santiago’s role as the “Capital of Choirs.”
Origins of a Choral Nation
The triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959 brought with it a cultural renaissance. Music flourished, schools expanded, and a vibrant choral movement took shape. Choirs were created in schools, factories, and neighborhoods, while professional ensembles were established to carry this art form to wider audiences.
It was in this spirit that the first National Choir Festival was held in Santiago in December 1961, featuring the Coro Nacional, the Orfeón Santiago, and the Coro de Camagüey, alongside children’s choirs and even groups formed by workers. What began with just seven ensembles grew rapidly, setting the stage for an international gathering that continues today.
Santiago: The City of Choirs
Santiago’s connection to choral music stretches back centuries. In the 18th century, composer and chapel master Esteban Salas enriched the city’s cathedral with sacred works, villancicos, and cantatas that blended European forms with Caribbean warmth. His legacy, kept alive by generations of composers and choirs, gave Santiago a reputation as Cuba’s spiritual home of choral music.
Today, Santiago’s concert halls, narrow colonial streets, and welcoming homes all serve as resonant chambers for visiting choirs, creating an atmosphere where music is not just performed but deeply understood.
A Global Meeting Ground
At the Festival Internacional de Coros, Cuban ensembles share the stage with international choirs in venues that range from the majestic Santiago Cathedral to schools, hospitals, and community centers. Sacred motets, folk arrangements, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and contemporary works all find their place.
Workshops and lectures allow singers and directors to exchange techniques and traditions, while the concerts themselves embody the festival’s spirit of cultural dialogue and unity.
Travel Notes & Reflections
For visitors, the festival offers more than music—it is an intimate entry point into Cuban daily life. One day you might hear a professional chamber choir in the cathedral; the next, a children’s group singing in a local school courtyard. The settings are as varied as the voices, making each performance a discovery.
Between concerts, Santiago invites exploration: stroll the lively streets of Céspedes Park, visit the fortress of Castillo del Morro, or enjoy an evening of traditional son at the Casa de la Trova. For those seeking the coast, the beaches of Siboney are a short drive away.
At night, after a day filled with voices in harmony, I often step out into the warm Santiago evening with a Bolívar Belicosos Finos in hand. Its bold, earthy profile feels like the perfect echo of the powerful choral performances I’ve just witnessed. Paired with a glass of Santiago de Cuba Extra Añejo rum, it becomes a ritual of reflection—letting the smoke and the music linger together.
Why It Matters
Declared by cultural minister Armando Hart Dávalos in 1978 as the permanent home of Cuba’s choral tradition, Santiago de Cuba has earned its title as the “Capital of Choirs.” The festival is both a tribute to that heritage and a space for new voices to be heard.
For travelers, it is a chance not only to hear extraordinary music but to feel part of a centuries-long chorus that still sings, strong and clear, in the heart of Cuba.
