Traditional Cuban Musician Renesito Avich comes to Tallahassee
By Amanda Hardeman
The Florida Folklife Program celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month by presenting Cuban musician Renesito Avich as the Folklife Artist-in-Residence in Tallahassee on September 25-27, 2018.
Avich hails from Santiago de Cuba where he began singing and playing the Cuban tres guitar at a young age. He has performed with some of Cuba’s hottest groups and went on to tour internationally before settling in Sarasota in 2014. He is considered a virtuoso of the tres, a guitar featuring three sets of two strings, and has mastered the son, or traditional folk music of Cuba. He has gained national acclaim for original compositions that explore related styles such as nengón, changüí and kiriva.
Although his primary instrument is the tres, Avich is a talented multi-instrumentalist who is often billed as a “one-man Cuban band.” His high energy shows feature a loop machine through which he expertly layers as many as seven instruments at a time to build the full Cuban orchestra.
His upcoming performance will feature music inspired by Santiago from his new album A Solo.
“What you will hear is a blending of traditional Cuban music and the music of today,” Avich said. “It’s the same concept as my one-man Cuban band, meaning that 95% of the album I recorded by myself, but the album also features special guests from Cuba, the last musicians from the traditional trova.”
Avich will share Cuba’s diverse musical heritage in two school programs, a community-focused music and dance workshop, and a full concert at Mission San Luis. All events are free and open to the public. Support for this program is provided by National Endowment for the Arts, Florida Department of State, Florida State University Center for Music of the Americas and Conexión.
“My performances are how I share my Cuban culture and connect to people. It’s the way I can express everything I feel for my culture,” Avich said.
For more information, contact the Florida Folklife Program at (850) 245-6315.
SCHEDULE OF FREE PUBLIC EVENTS
September 26
4:30 – 6:00 p.m. Music and Dance Workshop FREE
FSU Westcott Building, Rm 060 (adjacent to Ruby Diamond Concert Hall)
222 S. Copeland St., Tallahassee
September 27
7:30 – 8:30 p.m. FREE CONCERT
Doors 7:00 p.m. Mission San Luis
2100 W. Tennessee St., Tallahassee
