NPR

A Historic Music Festival Celebrates Cuba's Vast Range

Never before have so many Cuban artists performed or have been displayed in a single venue in the U.S.
Pablo Milanés (right) and his daughter Haydée Milanés perform together at the Kennedy Center on May 16, 2018.

For two glorious weeks this month, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. exploded with the vibrant sound, color and culture of the historic festival Artes de Cuba: From the Island to the World.

It was the Kennedy Center at its best, hosting an unprecedented — literally — array of Cuban arts, with co-curators Alicia Adams and Gilda Almeida building the country's world-class musicians into a cultural bridge between our two nations. The festival was a rare treat for a U.S audience to experience the work of some 400 Cuban and Cuban-American participating artists.

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