Omara Portuondo

Omara Portuondo (°1930), an icon in Cuban music, has an impressive career. In 1945 she was part of Las d'Aida Female Cuarteto and in 1959 her debut solo album 'Magic Negra' was released. She sang with Orquesta Aragón, Chucho Valdés and Maria Bethânia, among others.

In 1998 she was part of the renowned Buena Vista Social Club project, which brought her international fame and with whom she toured the world. Her album 'Gracias' (2009) won her a Latin Grammy award for Best Contemporary Tropical album.

Son Cubano (son is Spanish for sound) is a genre that was averted by the bourgeoisie, because it was strongly influenced by African rhythms and had a folk character. However, the genre got popular with the people and found its way to the capital city in the 1920's, where it grew to be the sound of the island together with the afro-cuban rumba.

In 2022 her 'Vida' world tour starts that will celebrate her 77-year long career. With her 92 years, she will be the oldest artist to have ever performed on our stage and we are so proud of that. The second oldest was the then 74-year-old Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa who performed at Antilliaanse Feesten Indoor in 1999.