For first time in years, major US orchestra performs in Cuba

For first time in years, major US orchestra performs in Cuba
By BETH J. HARPAZ, Associated Press | May 14, 2015 | Updated: May 16, 2015 12:49am

HAVANA (AP) — The Minnesota Orchestra played to a sold-out house Friday night in the first performance in Cuba by a full professional U.S. orchestra since 1999, coming just months after the two Cold War rivals announced a thaw in relations.

Few of the visiting Americans speak Spanish, but "the universal language of music" was all they needed, said Mele Willis, the orchestra's artistic operations manager.

The performance at the 2,000-seat National Theater, which was broadcast live in Cuba and on Minnesota Public Radio, included famed Cuban pianist Frank Fernandez and the Cuban National Choir. Fernandez was presented with a bouquet, then pulled some of the flowers loose and handed them to a few of the Americans in the orchestra.

A thrilled crowded gave the concert a standing ovation. Omar Fernandez, a Cuban who works for a Canadian travel agency in Havana, attended with his wife and young son. "We love music. And this is very important," he said when asked why he came.

More:
http://www.chron.com/news/world/article/For-first-time-in-years-major-US-orchestra-6265065.php

LBN:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141095097