The diva of the Buena Vista Social Club®, Omara Portuondo is a legendary singer whose voice reflects a long, creative life of passion and music. While other much-loved Buena Vista stars like Ruben Gonzalez and Ibrahim Ferrer were lured out of retirement, Omara has been continually performing since age 15 – an incredible 70 years – and while revolutions and wars shook the globe, she has carried on, with indomitable elegance. In 1997, just when Omara had hit normal retirement age and might be expecting to slow down, the Buena Vista Social Club® project boosted her profile throughout the world. Omara is a diva in the best sense, an ambassador of Cuba to the world. Now in her mid-eighties, there is a sense in which the curtains of an era are slowly, elegantly coming down. But she will forever, as the old showbusiness adage has it, “Always leave them wanting more.”
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HI-RES PHOTOS
^ Photo Credit: Johann Sauty
VIDEOS
Omara Portuondo Live at Tokyo Jazz Festival (Embed/Download)
Omara Portuondo – “Besame Mucho” Live (Embed)
BIOGRAPHY / PROGRAM NOTES
Biography: Download (doc)
Official Website: www.omaraportuondo.com
Label (US): Harmonia Mundi
PRESS REQUESTS
Joe Cohen
joe.cohen@sacksco.com
cc: Georgia Villar (management)
georgia@montuno.com
Please contact IMN’s Director of Marketing with any additional questions.
From Now Toronto Review: Cuban legend Omara Portuondo kissed goodbye at Toronto Jazz Festival By: CHAKA V. GRIER “Legendary Cuban cabaret singer and dancer Omara Portuondo is on the final legs of her Last Kiss tour. She’s bidding farewell to her more than 70-year music career, and, in many ways, a bygone era. But, judging by the 88-year-old’s sounds and...
Posted Jun 27th, 2019
From The Mercury News Cuban legend Omara Portuondo brings her ‘Last Kiss’ to SF Bay Area By: Andrew Gilbert Omara Portuondo is the last legend left from the pre-revolutionary Cuba artists reintroduced to the world by the Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon, which grew from the hit 1997 album produced by Ry Cooder, expanded with the award-winning Wim Wenders documentary...
Posted Apr 15th, 2019
From Billboard Omara Portuondo to Give Her ‘Last Kiss’ to Audiences on Final Tour By: Judy Cantor-Navas Omara Portuondo, the 88-year-old Cuban legend known to many as the female voice of the Buena Vista Social Club, has announced an international tour that she says will be her final one. […] Portuondo has been touring frequently ever since the Buena Vista...
Posted Apr 1st, 2019
From DownBeat Dominican Republic Jazz Festival Looks to Foster the Future By: Robert Ham […] Each show earlier this month was packed with loud, spirited responses for every performer who tread the often sandy boards. No musician got a better reaction from the crowd than nonagenarian vocalist Omara Portuondo. The Cuban artist and member of the Buena Vista Social Club...
Posted Nov 27th, 2018
Congratulations to Omara Portuondo for being nominated for the Best Traditional Tropical Album! From On Cuba Magazine Cubanos nominados a los Latin Grammy Los artistas cubanos han vuelto a ser noticia, al darse a conocer este jueves los nominados a los Latin Grammy 2018, cuya premiación será el 15 de noviembre en Las Vegas. Como en ediciones anteriores, músicos residentes...
Posted Sep 21st, 2018
From The Los Angeles Times Review: Cuba’s Omara Portuondo comes to the aid of L.A. Phil, Dudamel at the Bowl By: Randy Lewis […] There was some sense of cosmic scale-balancing in Dudamel’s choice of veteran singer Omara Portuondo to anchor Tuesday evening’s second half. Beaming that dimpled impish smile of his, he announced, ‘And now I have a surprise...
Posted Aug 16th, 2018
From Telesur Omara Portuondo Showcases Cuba’s Talent in New Album Renowned Cuban singer Omara Portuondo released her latest album, “Omara Siempre,” which showcases a collection of songs with fellow Cuban artists, in Havana Thursday. The 87-year-old, best known for her work as a singer in the “Buena Vista Social Club,” her powerful voice and her magnetic charisma is widely regarded...
Posted Jun 4th, 2018
From NBC Despite cooler U.S.-Cuba relations, Kennedy Center hosts largest celebration of Cuban artists By: Marisa Arbona-Ruiz Despite the Trump administration’s changes regarding U.S.-Cuba policy and news of fewer U.S. visitors traveling to Cuba this year, the largest, most ambitious gathering of Cuban artists is taking place in the nation’s capital. The Kennedy Center is hosting over 400 Cuban and...
Posted May 11th, 2018
From The Washington Post *A Cuban Cornucopia at the Kennedy Center_ By: Anna Midgette A blast of Cuban art is hitting the Kennedy Center this month. The ‘Artes de Cuba’ festival kicked off at the Eisenhower Theater on Tuesday night with an exuberant cornucopia of music offering a foretaste of two weeks of performances ‘” from a jazz quintet that...
Posted May 8th, 2018
From Grimy Goods Cuban Icon, Omara Portuondo of Buena Vista Social Club Delivers Most Memorable Performance at the Regent The Regent Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles opened its doors early with lines eager to get in and see a star. Cuban artist Omara Portuondo from the Buena Vista Social Club has come a long historical way and the show was...
Posted Apr 11th, 2018
From Billboard Buena Fe, Omara Portuondo and Yomil and El Dany Sing Love Song for Cuba By: Judy Cantor-Navas The acclaimed Cuban folk-pop group, octogenarian legend and popular reggaetoneros release an unexpected multigenerational track and video that has quickly notched 4 million plays on Facebook. ‘Musica Vital,’ a love song for Cuba and its music, features the unexpected trio of...
Posted Jan 8th, 2018
From NPR’s All Things Considered At 85, Cuban Legend Omara Portuondo Is Still Working ‘” And Feeling Young By: Betto Arcos Cuban singer Omara Portuondo came to international attention in the 1950s, when that country was less isolated than it has been since the Revolution. Her voice reached ears around the world again in the ’90s, when she was featured...
Posted Oct 20th, 2016
From Billboard Omara Portuondo on Her ‘Tremendous’ Career By: Judy Cantor-Navas With a solo U.S. tour and a Latin Grammy Nomination, the renowned Cuban singer reminds audiences that she’s not just about Buena Vista. When Omara Portuondo turns 86 later this month, she’ll have just wrapped up her current U.S. solo tour. Portuondo, known in recent years as the female...
Posted Oct 17th, 2016
From NJ.com Buena Vista Social Club singer celebrates 85th birthday at NJPAC By: Marty Lipp When baby boomers with a touch of grey leave a concert after seeing 85-year-old Omara Portuondo, the usual response is, “I want to be her when I grow up.” Portuondo ‘” whose career was reborn with the unlikely international phenomenon called the Buena Vista Social...
Posted Oct 14th, 2016
From The Boston Globe ‘Buena Vista’ star Omara Portuondo is 85. But you wouldn’t know it from her two-hour-long Cambridge concert. By: Bill Beuttler Omara Portuondo will turn 86 later this month, but you might not have guessed it from the two-plus-hour performance she put on Wednesday at Sanders Theatre. Her still-strong voice only increased in power as the evening...
Posted Oct 13th, 2016
From Buzzbands.LA Omara Portuondo: Bringing new Cuban vistas to Disney Hall ‘” at 85 By: Steve Hochman Omara Portuondo likes to remind Roberto Fonseca that he is living a dream come true. Fonseca doesn’t need much reminding. It’s a dream that goes back to when Fonseca was a schoolboy in Havana in the ’80s, and Portuondo was even then one...
Posted Oct 3rd, 2016
From NPR’s alt.latino Tiny Desk, Huge Enthusiasm: Latin Music On Our Small Stage By: Felix Contreras NPR’s Tiny Desk series documents one-of-a-kind performances, allowing for an intimate look at musicians ‘” some well-known, others just starting out ‘” as they make music behind Bob Boilen’s desk in the NPR Music offices. Started in 2008, the Tiny Desk concerts are often...
Posted Sep 26th, 2016
Congratulations to the legendary Omara Portuondo on her Best Latin Children’s Album Latin Grammy Award nomination for Canciones De Cri Cri “El Grillo Cantor”! For the full list of nominees click here
Posted Sep 22nd, 2016
From The Austin Chronicle Buena Vista Social Club Survivors Come to Austin Omara Portuondo and Eliades Ochoa lead the new Cuban-American frontier By: María Nuñez Living in this manner ‘” “Music is my heaven, earth, sea, sun, happiness, and reason” ‘” Cuban legend Omara Portuondo is the personification of the Caribbean’s devotion to culture. Encompassing a million square miles and...
Posted Aug 18th, 2016
From The Houston Chronicle Cuban treasure Portuondo brings bewitching voice to House of Blues By: Andrew Dansby Omara Portuondo met American listeners 20 years ago, even though she’d been a legend in her native Cuba for nearly four decades at that point. Time is worth considering with regard to Cuba and music because the sounds of the island were so...
Posted Aug 13th, 2016
From My Statesman Best of Latino cultural arts in August By: Nancy Flores As soon as they stepped on stage, an electric energy took over the room. A sold-out crowd at the Long Center for the Performing Arts had come to say goodbye to Cuban music legends Buena Vista Social Club for their farewell tour last fall. The masters went...
Posted Aug 1st, 2016
From La Prensa Omara Portuondo and Eliades Ochoa together at the Tobin By: Christina Acosta This summer, the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts will bring two legendary members from the world acclaimed band Buena Vista Social Club to perform an unforgettable concert. Omara Portuondo and Eliades Ochoa are the most charismatic existing members of the Cuban band and are...
Posted Jul 26th, 2016
From Billboard Omara Portuondo and Eliades Ochoa to Tour U.S. By: Carlos Pericás The 85-year-old singer and the master guitarist of Buena Vista Social Club join forces for August appearances The Buena Vista Social Club, which began with the smash 1997 album of the same name, finally said ‘adios’ with a final three-year tour that ended this past May in...
Posted Jul 7th, 2016
Legendary Cuban Icons Omara Portuondo & Eliades Ochoa of Buena Vista Social Club’“¢ Announce Select U.S. Cities for Summer Tour “a nostalgia trip of traditional Cuban styles…it was a showcase and testament to virtuosic skill…” – Rolling Stone “With our music we Cubans have exported more dreams and pleasures than with our tobacco, more sweetness and energy than with all...
Posted Jun 30th, 2016
From The New York Times By Lawrence Downes A Havana Farewell to the Buena Vista Social Club HAVANA ‘” ‘The revolution is invincible,’ say the painted walls along the streets of Havana, as if they could banish doubt through the act of insisting, in red block letters. But what really is invincible in Cuba is Omara Portuondo, the 85-year-old diva...
Posted May 19th, 2016
From Rolling Stone By Winston Manfred Buena Vista Social Club Return Home for Historic Cuba Show It’s been 20 years since Ry Cooder, British producer Nick Gold and Cuban musical director Juan de Marcos Gonzalez assembled a group of veteran Cuban musicians, christened them Buena Vista Social Club and recorded an album that would become a global phenomenon and sell...
Posted May 16th, 2016
From Prensa Latina Cuban Omara Portuondo will be one of the awarded singers at the Prize Living Legend given by the regional event Caribbean Muzik Festival, that will take place from October 28 thru 31 in this capital. Together with the diva (84) five other singers will receive the distinction: Masekela (South Africa), Ronnie Butler (Bahamas), Jimmy Cliff (Jamaica), Emile...
Posted Oct 13th, 2015
From The Guardian 2014 albums we missed: Omara Portuondo ‘” Magia Negro review Cuba’s greatest diva returns to her roots. Omara Portuondo is best known for the crucial role she played in the Buena Vista Social Club, but she had established her reputation long before a lucky meeting with Ry Cooder brought her even greater success. She started working with...
Posted Dec 18th, 2014
From Billboard Magazine Join The Club By Judy Cantor-Navas Thanks to easing travel restrictions under the Obama administration, the U.S. Interests Section in Havana says it has issued more than 300 visas this year to Cuban jazz artists, dance bands, folk groups, singer/songwriters and other artists. While such high-profile performers as revolutionary balladeer Pablo Milanes and the National Ballet of...
Posted Jul 9th, 2011
From NPR Omara Portuondo: Cuban Music’s Matriarch By Rita Houston Omara Portuondo is a legend of Cuban music, with a career spanning more than 50 years. Her life story is amazing: She’s been a singer, dancer, actress and world traveler on behalf of her country, though most of us in the U.S. came to know her through her singing with...
Posted Jun 17th, 2010
by Felix Contreras (NPR) Watch The Video Or Download By Subscribing To The ‘All Songs Considered’ Concerts Podcast Her performance here of two classic boleros was enough to transport us to another time and place. Achingly tender and direct, her Tiny Desk Concert reflects the passion for life she instills in every performance. So sit back and take in a...
Posted Mar 8th, 2010
(from The New York Times) By JON PARELES Published: March 1, 2010 The Cuban singer Omara Portuondo, 79, is still impulsive onstage. At Town Hall on Saturday night, she interrupted her planned set a few times to launch into a song unaccompanied. One, responding to audience requests, was ‘Amigas,’ which she had sung half a century ago when she had...
Posted Mar 1st, 2010
Illustrious Cuban singer Omara Portuondo has made history twice this year. In October, the remarkable vocalist, and only female star of the Buena Vista Social Club’“¢, became one of the first Cuban artists in six years to obtain a visa to perform in the U.S., marking a cultural breakthrough in the strained relations between her homeland and the U.S. On...
Posted Nov 6th, 2009
(AP) Cuban diva Omara Portuondo, nominated for best contemporary tropical album for “Gracias,” will present an award, the first time an artist from Cuba will take the stage at the Latin Grammys. The ceremony will be broadcast live on Univision, with most of the 49 awards presented at an earlier event streamed live on the Latin Grammy Web site. Members...
Posted Nov 5th, 2009
From Billboard via Reuters By Judy Cantor-Navas Omara Portuondo’s Latin Grammy Award-nominated “Gracias” was released in the United States in 2008, but she wasn’t able to tour stateside in support of the album until now. Like other Cuban singers, Portuondo, best known as one of the stars of the “Buena Vista Social Club” album, had been barred from performing in...
Posted Oct 30th, 2009
Omara Portuondo, the world renowned vocalist who began her career in the music scene of her native Cuba in the 1940s, has been granted a travel visa to perform in the United States for two very special dates in October. Omara, whom the Los Angeles Times called ‘the queen of Caribbean vocalists,’ will perform at the Palace of Fine Arts...
Posted Oct 1st, 2009
Omara Portuondo – Last Kiss / Ultimo Beso Rider (2019): Download (pdf)
Her voice rarely reveals her age. It is rich, shapely, dynamic and still sultry, with only an occasional foray into the wide vibrato of an older generation.
The New York Times
The queen of Caribbean vocalists
Los Angeles Times
For western audiences, she’s the woman who suddenly popularized her country’s music a decade ago, as the female star of the Buena Vista Social Club. But for Cubans, Omara Portuondo means far more. She is the best known of the club’s line up because she has an extraordinary history, from her early career as a dancer in the famous Tropicana Cabaret, back in the 40’s, through to her intimate, emotional vocals with the Quarteto Las d’Aida and Orchestra Aragon.
The Guardian UK