AGP Executive Report

Music: French-Cuban soul singer Charlotte Colace opens Budapest’s Isolation festival on Oct. 17. Havana’s Jazz Plaza returns in January 2027, while Cimafunk is among the acts at New Orleans’ NOLA Funk Fest. Poetry & Heritage: Cuban American poet Kyle Carrero Lopez’s debut, Party Line, explores identity, masculinity and belonging. Harpist Isabel Cárdenes is also drawing on her Cuban roots in a project featuring Latin American music. Film & Literature: Cuban film Neurotica Anonima is among the Goya nominees, and writer María Elena Llana has been nominated for the 2026 Cervantes Prize. Cuban Culture: Guantánamo’s Cuban Culture Week and Holguín’s Ibero-American Festival spotlight island arts; Cuban artist Yasiel Elizagaray is set to exhibit at the Vatican.

Cuban Music: Cuban-Swiss singer-songwriter Pau Mueller has struck a nostalgic chord with her rendition of the traditional childhood song “El perrito chino,” learned from her grandmother. Arts for Cuba: A fundraising exhibition in Namibia is helping a solidarity campaign that has raised $3 million for medical supplies and solar kits for Cuban health centres. On the Calendar: Havana will host the 42nd International Jazz Plaza Festival in January 2027; Celia Cruz has also received the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Legacy Award. Film and Literature: Cuban film Neurótica Anónima is among the Goya Award nominees, while writer María Elena Llana is nominated for the 2026 Cervantes Prize. Farewell: Cuba’s bolero community is mourning singer Manolo del Valle, an emblematic voice of the genre.

Cuban Music: Celia Cruz received the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame’s posthumous Legacy Award at a Miami gala, honoring her role in bringing Afro-Cuban music and salsa to the world. Dance: Cuban-American artists Patricia Delgado and Emily Estefan are joining forces on a new ballet, premiering with Miami City Ballet’s season-opening program on Oct. 16. Cuban Stages: Singer-songwriter Lidis Lamorú marked 33 years in the arts with a Holguín concert that launched a national tour celebrating her work for young audiences. Film & Visual Arts: Cuban film Neurótica Anónima is among the Goya Award nominees, while artist Yasiel Elizagaray is set to exhibit at the Vatican. Bolero: Cuba is mourning singer Manolo del Valle, remembered as an emblematic voice of the genre.

Music: Omara Portuondo, nearing her 96th birthday, is still performing and earning acclaim: her Grammy-nominated album Eternamente Omara brings together Silvio Rodríguez, Nathy Peluso, Pablo López and Angélique Kidjo, with Roberto Fonseca producing. On Tour: Holguín singer-songwriter Lidis Lamorú launched a national tour with an Oct. 10 concert celebrating 33 years in music, joined by children’s choirs and community arts groups. Tribute: Cuba mourns bolero singer Manolo del Valle, remembered as an emblematic voice of the genre. Literature and Film: Cuban writer María Elena Llana is a contender for the 2026 Cervantes Prize, while Neurótica Anónima is among the nominees for the Goya Awards. Press Freedom: Cuban writers, journalists and theater artists are calling for the release of Henry Constantín, the imprisoned founder of La Hora de Cuba, saying reporting and creating are not crimes.

Cuban Music: Bolero singer Manolo del Valle, described as an emblematic voice, has died. Singer Yaima Sáez says she is working in Mérida and will perform with Meme Solís at Madrid’s Ateneo on Dec. 19. Festival News: Holguín’s Ibero-American Culture Festival returns Oct. 24–30 after a two-year pause, with music, dance, photography and arts events. New Milestones: Cuban urban singer Bebeshito celebrated 30 RIAA Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum certifications. On Stage: Gina Torres began playing Omara Portuondo in Broadway’s Buena Vista Social Club, bringing her Cuban American heritage to the role through Nov. 29. Cuban Sound Abroad: Juan de Marcos González brings the Afro-Cuban All Stars to Washington state on Oct. 28, blending son, danzón and timba. Havana’s Voice: An altered slogan on a Havana street sign replaces its upbeat message with a bleak comment on life in the city.

Holguín Festival: The Ibero-American Culture Festival returns Oct. 24–30 after a two-year pause, with artists from 10 countries and a program spanning music, dance, photography and literature. Bolero: Manolo del Valle, celebrated voice of Cuban bolero and longtime performer with Orquesta Original de Manzanillo, has died in Florida at 84. Visual Art: Tate Modern’s major Ana Mendieta retrospective brings together more than 120 works by the Havana-born performance-art pioneer; it runs through Jan. 17. Cultural Solidarity: Namibian artists will raise funds for medical supplies and solar kits for Cuba through the Art for Cuba exhibition in Windhoek, Oct. 26–30. Live Music: Bandleader Juan de Marcos González brings the Afro-Cuban All Stars to Port Angeles for three shows Oct. 16–18, their only West Coast dates on the current tour. New Sounds: Reparto, once banned in Cuba, is gaining international attention as the island’s music scene pushes onto a wider stage.

Creative Economy: UNDP Cuba has opened a funding call for cultural businesses, including ventures in music, film, crafts, literature and the performing arts. Applications are due Nov. 15. Artist Rights: Activist Anamely Ramos says rapper and political prisoner Maykel Osorbo was handcuffed and forced to cut his hair during a prison search in Guanajay. Afro-Cuban Sound: Bandleader Juan de Marcos González is bringing his 14-member Afro-Cuban All Stars to Port Angeles this week, drawing on Havana’s musical traditions. Miami Stages: Buena Vista Social Club: The Musical plays Fort Lauderdale through Oct. 18; Cuban vocalist Aymée Nuviola joins percussionist Sammy Figueroa for a Latin jazz concert in Miami Beach on Oct. 21. Cuban Arts: Cuban Culture Week has opened in Guantánamo, while actress and storyteller Coralia Rodríguez is set to receive Spain’s Cultural Values 2026 award.

Music: Cuba’s once-banned reparto is gaining international attention: the viral track “Dichávate” has topped 141 million YouTube views, and the genre will feature in a panel at Billboard Latin Music Week. Dance and diaspora: Cuban dance is thriving in San Francisco, where choreographer Ramón Ramos Alayo teaches rueda de casino while reflecting on the hardships facing people back home. On the island: Guantánamo’s Cuban Culture Week opened with a book presentation and history exhibition, with local dance companies among the events; Havana actors are also keeping performances going through prolonged blackouts. Literature and performance: Cuban writer María Elena Llana is nominated for Spain’s Cervantes Prize, while actress and storyteller Coralia Rodríguez is set to receive Spain’s Cultural Values award.

Theater Abroad: Cuban actress Claudia Valdés is taking her solo show, My Daughter Is an Astronaut, to Madrid on Dec. 3–4 and Paris on Dec. 6, with a Barcelona date still to come. The work draws on her family’s experience with autism. Cultural Honors: Actress and storyteller Coralia Rodríguez will receive Spain’s Cultural Values 2026 award on Oct. 17, recognizing a career rooted in Cuban and Afro-Cuban oral traditions. Artists on Emigration: Comedian Ulises Toirac described leaving Cuba as a lasting wound, reflecting on the family ties, places and friendships that migration breaks. The Show Goes On: Cuban actors are keeping performances alive through prolonged blackouts, including candlelit theater in Havana. Film: Omar Ali’s film The Road has premiered in Havana.

Cuban Music & Community: Little Havana’s free Oct. 15 block party will bring live music, dancing, dominoes and Cuban food to Calle Ocho. Literature: Cuban writer María Elena Llana has been nominated for the 2026 Cervantes Prize, the highest honor in Hispanic literature. Theater: Havana actors are keeping performances going through blackouts that have lasted nearly 24 hours. Film & Festivals: Omar Ali’s film The Road has premiered in Havana, while Holguín’s Iberoart handicraft fair celebrates Cuban traditions and Guantánamo prepares for Cuban Culture Week.

Cuban Literature: Writer María Elena Llana, 90, has been nominated for the 2026 Cervantes Prize, the highest honor in Spanish-language literature. The Cienfuegos-born author called it the greatest recognition she could hope for. Theater Under Blackouts: Havana’s Impulso Teatro staged Ensueño without electricity, air conditioning or sound equipment as outages stretched toward 24 hours. The cast carried on, though veteran actor Carlos Pérez Peña said keeping theater alive comes at a cost. Pageant News: Cuba’s representative advanced to the Top 11 at Miss Grand International 2026 before being eliminated from the final rounds. Afro-Cuban Jazz: Kevin Haynes’s Grupo Elegua blends hard-bop with Cuban rhythms, Yoruba bata drumming and African vocals on Inner Outer Alignment Vol. 1.

Pageantry: Cuba’s representative advanced to the Top 11 at Miss Grand International 2026, where Tanzania’s Jihan Mohin Dimachk took the crown. Film and folk arts: Omar Ali’s film The Road premiered in Havana, while Holguín’s Iberoart fair put traditional crafts in the spotlight; Guantánamo is also preparing a week of Cuban culture. Theater: Cuban actors say performances must go on despite blackouts, as power shortages strain Havana’s theater scene. Cuban music: Pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba is set to bring Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz to Miami’s Moss Center in January. Artists abroad: Cuban musician Alejandro Infante, known as “El Pollo,” was reportedly detained by US immigration authorities in Texas.

Culture Week: Camagüey and Guantánamo launch Cuban Culture Week, Oct. 10–20, with more than 100 activities spanning music, dance, visual arts, literature and heritage. On Screen: Camagüey’s Nuevo Mundo complex is showing Calle 232, a Cuban-Mexican film about caregiving and vulnerability, through Oct. 11. Holguín Arts: The Iberoart fair brings together 57 artisans, alongside local fashion and music performances, in a showcase of Cuban and Mexican traditions. Performing Through Blackouts: Cuban actors are pushing to keep theater going despite power outages, as the energy crisis strains the island’s cultural scene. Music: ICE has detained Cuban guitarist Alejandro Infante, known as “El Pollo,” in Texas; his band says supporters are raising money for legal help.

Film: Cuban-Mexican drama Calle 232 has arrived at Camagüey’s Nuevo Mundo cinema. Rudy Mora’s film explores aging, vulnerability and caregiving. Culture: Camagüey’s Cuban Culture Week runs Oct. 10–20, with more than 100 events spanning music, dance, visual arts, literature and heritage. Arts & Crafts: Holguín’s Iberoart fair brings together 57 exhibitors, with a fashion show, live music and tributes to local creators. Havana Cinema: Omar Ali’s directorial debut, The Road, gets a special screening at Yara Cinema. The seven-part historical fiction film links episodes from Cuba’s past with contemporary concerns. Music: Alejandro Infante, guitarist for Qva Libre known as “El Pollo,” is in ICE custody in Texas; his band’s director says friends and family are raising funds for legal help.

Theater Against the Odds: Havana’s Impulso Teatro keeps performing through near-daily blackouts, with actors using rechargeable lights as power cuts and transport problems strain the city’s arts scene. Crafts in Holguín: The Iberoart International Handicraft Fair has opened, showcasing Cuban goldsmithing, textiles, ceramics and furniture alongside Mexican crafts; it runs through Oct. 24. Celia Cruz Centennial: Miramar marks the singer’s 100th birthday on Oct. 10 with a concert by Cuban performer Lucrecia and the Celia Cruz All Stars Band, plus an exhibition of her costumes and portraits. Cuban Dance on Tour: Havana-born dancer Jhon Destrade brings his Cuban roots to the Broadway touring production of Buena Vista Social Club in Tampa.** Music Industry Spotlight: Cuban reparto artists Bebeshito, Wow Popy and others are among the performers featured at Billboard Latin Music Week in Miami later this month.

Celia Cruz Centennial: Miramar closes its centennial celebrations Saturday with singer Lucrecia and the Celia Cruz All Stars Band, alongside an exhibition featuring Cuban artist Esteban Machado Díaz. Holguín Crafts: The Iberoart fair has opened, spotlighting goldsmithing, ceramics, textiles and furniture, with Mexico as guest country; it runs through Oct. 24. Theater Through Blackouts: Havana’s Impulso Teatro is keeping performances alive despite near-daily power cuts, with actors working by rechargeable lights in a sweltering, unpowered venue. Cuban Dance on Tour: Havana-born dancer Jhon Destrade brings his Cuban roots to the Broadway tour of Buena Vista Social Club, now playing in Tampa. Reparto Takes the Stage: Billboard Latin Music Week will host its first panel on Cuba’s reparto music, featuring Bebeshito, Wow Popy, DJ Conds, Rey Tony and Helabusador.