Efraín Amador Piñero

Efraín Amador Piñero (born 1947) is a Cuban guitarist, lutist, composer and professor. He has conducted extensive investigations about the “Cuban lute” and “tres” performance styles, and has created several methods of study and numerous compositions for those instruments.

Studies

Amador began studying guitar at Havana Municipal Conservatory (Amadeo Roldán) with renowned professor Isaac Nicola and graduated in 1970. At a later time he studied guitar at the Instituto Superior de Arte with professors Nicola and Leo Brouwer, as well as musical composition with José Ardévol, Roberto Valera and José Loyola. In 1981 he received a Doctorate Degree from the Instituto Superior de Arte. He also received post-graduate instruction from distinguished guitarist such as Alirio Díaz and Antonio Lauro. Work

Efraín Amador is credited for having achieved the inclusion of the Cuban “lute” and “tres” performance techniques in the academic programs of art schools in Cuba. He has closely collaborated with his wife Doris Oropesa in numerous performances> and has served for many years as a professor at the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA).

During the year 2012, Efraín Amador visited the United States, where he was invited to participate at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. In San Francisco he was received by renowned guitarist David Tanenbaum, who hosted Amador's two hours lecture concert, where he exposed the characteristics and principles of the “Cuban School of tres and laud”. At the same city, Amador participated in a TV and radio broadcast, and ended his tour in Oregon, where he played at the Oswego County and at the Hispanic Art and Culture Festival in Portland. During that trip, Efraín Amador also recorded a CD at a Studio in Los Angeles, California.

Musical compositions

Amador's ample catalog of compositions include:

Choir

Oye pionerito, coro infantil Pobre niño siboney, coro infantil En un rincón de Viet Nam, coro infantil, 1968 Canción del siglo, coro mixto He recorrido, coro infantil; 1969 Un río es un niño, 1973, coro infantil

Choir and orchestra

Tríptico, 1978

Guitar

Cuatro comentarios sobre Leo Brouwer, 1970 Suite para un cacique, 1972 Invención núms. 1-5 Contrapuntos cubanos y Guajira, 1975 Estudio para la mano izquierda, 1976 Dos estudios con el dedo quinto y Preludio con tumbao, 1976 Differencias sobre tres temas cubanos, 1977 Fantasía del son, Fantasía y Son de la mano diestra, 1981 Preludio espirituano núms. I y II, 1987 Estudio en Mi menor, 1988

Guitar and piano

Canto latinoamericano

Lute

Escuela del laúd campesino, 1983-1986 Son para un amigo, 1985 Cuatro preludios, 1995-1996 Concierto, para laúd y orquesta de guitarra, 1988-1989

Lute and piano

Fantasía guajira, laúd, guitarra y piano, 1983-1984 Suite campesina núm. 1, 1984-1985 De lo real maravilloso (Homenaje a José Manuel Rodríguez), 1986-1987

Tres

Escuela del tres cubano, 1986 Regreso a mi tres, 1986 Rondó campesino, 1986 Primavera en Estocolmo, 1991 Variaciones sobre aires sureños, 1992 Estudio en estilo barroco, 1998

Tres and piano

Guanabaquiste, 1986 Variaciones para amanecer, 1998 Tres and orchestra Concierto, tres y orquesta sinfónica, 1987-1988 Concierto para amanecer, orquesta de guitarra, 1991 Violin and piano Sonata amanecer, 1986 Voice and guitar Al final del año de la alegría, Traza prodigios Tarde es para el árbol Tal vez una canción de amor Y las palabras, textos: Alex Fleites, 1979-1980 Celia, 1980, texto: Efraín Amador Poema para dos, texto: Alex Fleites Días de Etiopía, texto: Nelson Herrera Ysla, 1981

Voice and piano

Para la palma una nave, 1976