The 21-year-old Alfredo Torres Cruz, from Manatí, was the winner of the second edition of the El Artista Soy Yo (I am the Artist) performance contest, a competition sponsored by the Emiliano Salvador Music House and several exponents of the event, to defend the best of the pentagram and promote new talents in the province.

This amateur from the Olga Alonso House of Culture, a native of the land of Barbarito Diez, for the first time, took the plunge to compete, armed only with his talent and the desire to give his best on stage. He tells 26 that, due to the distance of his homeland from the head municipality of the province, he was unable to attend most of the rehearsals, but he tried to make the most of the remaining time, and the results achieved corroborate this.

Together with Rosailis Báez (fourth place), Julio César Furones (third place), and María de los Ángeles Manresa (second place), she lived the final moments of the competition, seasoned with a fair amount of nervousness and enthusiasm. No wonder. According to Divania González, director of the Emiliano Salvador House of Music, a total of 23 performers initially presented themselves, of which 14 passed through to the elimination phase and then the most outstanding ones were selected.

The jury, made up of soloists Ernesto Soria, Lays Rodríguez, and herself, as well as Víctor Hidalgo (head of the Technical Department of the Empresa de la Música), Ángel Orlando Matos (choreographer) and Rolando Rodríguez (musician and graduate of the professional art school El Cucalambé), assessed the vocal, stage and overall quality of the contestants.

Regarding Alfredo as such, Divania commented: "He deserves to be an artist in the catalog of the music and show marketing company Barbarito Díez, from Las Tunas. He has a unique talent and is very professional despite his young age. He is simply great. Motivated by these trappings, 26 Newspaper approaches the winner to find out more about the strings and muses that pull his voice, blessed by Euterpe.

MEETING THE ARTIST

- Alfredo, how you embrace what Martí defined as "the most beautiful form of the beautiful."

Well, I'll tell you that I left medicine to dedicate myself fully to music. I have been singing as an amateur for a dozen years. I come from a very humble family, who lived in the countryside, so I couldn't previously develop in the world of art as I would have liked.

As soon as I entered secondary school, at the 2 de Diciembre Basic Secondary School, in my town, I got involved in the Culture House, but first I was involved in the theatre. From there, thanks to the art of the stage, I became interested in music until it caught me more and more, although I like both manifestations and I practice them as much as I can. I love art in general, so I am also passionate about make-up, voice-over, and declamation.

- And how did you get into this competition?

I found out about it through Facebook. I received the link to the group where the contest and the applicants were posted. I saw that I was on time, I wrote directly to the group's administrator and that's how I signed up.

The auditions were on 5 July, at the Casa de la Música itself. I made my debut with the song Puedo jurarlo, by Elena Burke, in a version by Vania Borges. And I was the first save of the night.

It was something new for me, the first time I participated as such in a singing contest. I knew practically no one of those who accompanied me in the contest because as I am from another municipality I am not familiar with many faces of our culture. I was the only participant from a territory other than Las Tunas. Besides, I'm a bit shy, and that inhibits me a bit when it comes to interacting with others.

- Tell me about the process, the challenges you had to take on during the competition.

It was complex and beautiful at the same time. We had to perform several genres, from a variety of authors. I remember that in the third gala, for example, we were challenged to perform a dance song and a Cuban song. In my case, I wanted both to be Cuban, because I have always liked to defend our music, especially because I am young and sometimes at our age we forget our roots and identity a little.

That's why I was inclined toward peasant music. Thus, I shared Desafío al Sinsonte, which includes a dance and a tune. I also decided to pay homage to Juan Cristóbal Nápoles Fajardo (El Cucalambé) and Celina González. It was a great success.

As for the other song, I took on A mi entender, by Lourdes Torres, one of the Cuban singers I admire most. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Yunier Díaz, her assistant and a soloist from Havana who - ever since I started in music - has supported me, both with advice and with the musical arrangements of many of the songs I have performed. I am infinitely grateful for that.

As the days went by, relations between the competitors grew closer. The finalists were on Radio Victoria and in the TunasVisión local channel, it was nice. I feel that we grew and admired the courage of others. Rosailis, for example, is only 17 years old and she made it far in the contest.

- And what did you leave for the grand final?

Asuntos Pendientes, a theme of the soundtrack of the Cuban soap opera of the same name. Why did I choose it? Because a few months ago I published a video singing that song and, thanks to Yunier Díaz, the material reached the ears of Teresa Yanet, who is the Cuban singer who performs the song, as well as its composer. She wrote to me thanking me for it and asking me for the video, which was a wonderful thing for me. I was convinced that - if I made it to the final - I couldn't share any other song but that one.

Now, once I got to that position, I contacted Teresa and asked her for her musical arrangements, because I wanted to perform the song like her, even if my voice would be nuanced. That's how it happened. She also sent me a touching audio that I shared with the audience before performing the piece. The other song I chose for the final was Se Nos rompió el Amor, by Rocío Jurado, a powerful song that touches the audience.

- Tell me about your work beyond the contest.

Well, I have a video clip that I made on my own last year, with the support of the producer Amerix Rekord. I did it with the song No quererte, by the Colombian singer Maía, one of my references for her strength and power as an interpreter.

After leaving medicine, I worked as a communicator for a few months at the Olga Alonso cultural center, but I decided to dedicate myself completely to music and, since then, I have participated in various spaces, from political and cultural events, galas, the Cucalambeana Fiesta events, and other activities. I have even participated in initiatives at the provincial level.

In this sense, I would also like to thank Rafael Rivero Vega, the artistic director of my homeland who is now out of the country. He welcomed me and helped me during my first steps. I would also like to thank Oberto Calderón, who directs the Trova sin Traba gathering and was also my professor at the University of Medical Sciences in Las Tunas, who invited me on several occasions.

- So, what is music for you?

It is everything, I live for it. I spend most of my time at home singing and listening to music. I listen to my recordings a lot, to try to improve myself every day. It's my best way to communicate and reach people with the things I feel so they can get to know me a little bit, it's my engine, it's what gives color, joy, and hope to my life.

- If you were a song, what would it be?

It's my mother, by Agustín Pantoja, because she is the greatest thing I have in this world.

- What are your immediate dreams?

I just want to sing, live music and become a professional singer. In that sense, the contest has been a great step, because it has helped me to make myself known, to learn from other colleagues, and to grow, in general.

...

To listen to Alfredo is to be delighted by a beautiful voice with great intensity. He has talent and it augurs well for him, but it is in the daily attempt to better himself that he will find his way. He knows that and that is his best weapon in life. 26 wishes him success and urges the organizers of the competition and the cultural directors of the province to continue to support him so that, like others, he can say with healthy pride (without triumphalism or egos that lead nowhere): "The Artist Is Me".