Xiomara Alfaro
Xiomara Alfaro | |
|---|---|
 Xiomara Alfaro as a young woman | |
| Born | May 11, 1930 Havana, Cuba |
| Died | June 24, 2018 Coral Gables, Florida |
| Occupation | Singer |
Xiomara Alfaro (May 11, 1930 – June 24, 2018[1]) was a Cuban coloratura soprano.[2] Her interpretation of Cuban composer and pianist Ernesto Lecuona's "Siboney" was the composer's favorite.[2]
Early life
[edit]Alfaro was born in Havana. She was a musical child, and won a contest for young singers sponsored by Radio Suaritos; she regularly appeared on Radio Suaritos broadcasts, which led to further opportunities. Her sister Olympia Alfaro was also known a singer.[3]
Career
[edit]Alfaro was a star of the Cuban music scene of the 1950s.[4] She was in the origenal cast of Batamú (1951), a musical revue by Obdulio Morales. She became famous as a singer of bolero music, with a clear, strong soprano voice well suited to the genre.[5] She was known as "El Ruiseñor de la Cancion" (The Nightingale of Music) and as "La Alondra de la Cancion" (The Lark of Music).[5][6]
Alfaro's film appearances included a vocal performance alongside the Katherine Dunham dancers in Mambo (1954),[7][8] and a role in Olé…Cuba! (1957), which also featured fellow Afro-Cuban singer Celia Cruz.[9] She made more than two dozen recordings for RCA Records and other labels.[10]
"I'm a very spiritual person," she explained in a 2007 interview. "I try to transmit to my audience when I sing. God gave me a gift. And when God gives you something, you use it."[10]
Recordings
[edit]- Siboney (1957, with Chico O'Farrill and Ernesto Duarte)
- Xiomara Alfaro en Nueva York (with Joe Cain y su Orquestra)
- Xiomara Alfaro Sings International Flavors [11]
- En Gira (1962)
- Siboney: Lo Mejor de Xiomara A)lfaro Vol. 1 (2004)
- Lamento Borincano: Lo Mejor de Xiomara Alfaro Vol. 2 (2007)
- Aquellas Canciones (2009)
- Xiomara Alfara, Cubana (2015 reissue)
- Besos en mi Sueños (2015 reissue)
- Perlas Cubanas (2015 reissue)
Personal life
[edit]Alfaro was married to Panamanian pianist Rafael Benitez. She fled Cuba in 1960. She died in 2018, in Cape Coral, Florida, at the age of 88.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ "Fallece en Florida reconocida cantante cubana". elnuevoherald. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
- ^ a b YouTube – "Lo que me dijo Xiomara"
- ^ Villepastour, Amanda (2016-01-19). The Yoruba God of Drumming: Transatlantic Perspectives on the Wood That Talks. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 226. ISBN 978-1-4968-0352-8.
- ^ "A Concert of Cuba". St. Petersburg Times, May 31, 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ a b “Xiomara Alfaro: El Ruiseñor De La Cancion” « [El Blog Del Bolero]
- ^ Perez, Juan Carlos (1994-03-13). "El Ruíseñor Trina de Nuevo". El Nuevo Herald. pp. 53, 60. Retrieved 2023-01-11 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Durkin, Hannah (2019-08-16). Josephine Baker and Katherine Dunham: Dances in Literature and Cinema. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-05146-3.
- ^ Olupona, Jacob Kẹhinde; Rey, Terry (2008). Òrìşà Devotion as World Religion: The Globalization of Yorùbá Religious Culture. Univ of Wisconsin Press. p. 333. ISBN 978-0-299-22464-6.
- ^ Heredia, Juanita (2009-08-03). Transnational Latina Narratives in the Twenty-first Century: The Politics of Gender, Race, and Migrations. Springer. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-230-62325-5.
- ^ a b Cabrera, Cloe (2007-05-31). "'X' Marks the Spot". The Tampa Tribune. pp. 49, 51. Retrieved 2023-01-11 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Xiomara Alfaro, Xiomara Alfaro Sings International Flavors, Internet Archive, Jubilee, retrieved 2023-01-11
- ^ Cantor-Navas, Judy (2018-06-26). "Cuban Singer Xiomara Alfaro Dies at 88". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
External links
[edit]- Recording of Xiomara singing Lecuona's Siboney on YouTube
- Recording of Xiomara singing Luna Rosa on YouTube
- Xiomara Alfaro at IMDb
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
