Legacy of Sonora Matancera Transcends in Matanzas

During the second and final day of the International Encounter «Sonora Matancera: Legend, Culture and Heritage,» the theoretical event took place at the theater of the Office of the City Historian of Matanzas (OCCM), with presentations by specialists from Mexico, Colombia, and Cuba.

Juan Francisco González, researcher and specialist at OCCM, presented the paper «Historical Panorama of Sonora Matancera and Its Legacy.» He systematized the main milestones of the group from its emergence in 1924, its development, and its influence on Cuban music. He also highlighted Matanzas’ contributions to the evolution of son.

Professor, musicologist, and researcher María Victoria Oliver addressed this theme when she delved into the transformations that local musicians brought to son with «an organological structure that achieved a different timbre.»

Virtually, Juan Carlos Álvarez Echeverri, a collector, offered an approach to «Matanzas Composers in Sonora Matancera,» including Miguel Failde, Arsenio Rodríguez, Aniceto Díaz, Dámaso Pérez Prado, Frank Domínguez, and José Claro Fumero. «In total,» he stated, «98 compositions by Matanzas authors were recorded.»

Regarding the group’s presence in Mexico, Arturo Yáñez, Systems Engineer at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, a collector of Antillean Music since 1988 and a member of the Club Corporación Sonora Matancera de Antioquia from 1999 to 2013, elaborated on the evolution of this musical ensemble in the Aztec nation, while noting that «it is our obligation to protect our grandparents’ music to bequeath it to new generations.»

Also virtually, Luz Patricia Vargas, a member of the Board of Directors of the Corporación Cultural Sonora Matancera in Medellín, referenced the transcendental presence of women such as Myrta Silva, Celia Cruz, Toña la Negra, and the Hermanas Lago within what many specialists consider the most influential Cuban-origin musical ensemble of the 20th century.

The program was completed by a presentation on «The Attire and Elegance of the Group,» led by the Deputy Director of Heritage and Culture at the Office of the City Historian, accompanied by a parade by Planeta Moda Cuba, and the signing of a Collaboration Agreement between the Office of the City Historian and the Corporación Cultural Sonora Matancera.

Additionally, the call for the second edition of the Encounter in 2028 was launched, as well as the presentation of «Ron Añejo Especial, Edición Limitada Sonora Universal,» courtesy of the Yucayo Local Rum Distillery, and a concert by Sonora Lira Matancera, heir and defender of the legacy of Sonora Matancera.

This event is consolidated as one of the results of the «Zonas Creativas» (Creative Zones) Project: supporting cultural and creative enterprises through the valorization of historical heritage for territorial development in Havana and Matanzas, financed by Italian Cooperation.

The International Encounter «Sonora Matancera: Legend, Culture and Heritage» aims to rescue musical heritage and seeks to reveal the legacy of a group that transcended national borders to become an icon of Latin America.