Havana Lyceum Orchestra

Since the Havana Lyceum Orchestra’s inception as a volunteer student orchestra in 2007—celebrating Mozart’s 250th birthday in collaboration with the Stiftung Mozarteum Salzburg—it has built partnerships between Cuban and European institutions to become a leading national ensemble. Led by Cuban conductor José Antonio Méndez Padrón, the orchestra released a daring and deliciously fun collaboration with Berliner Philharmoniker horn player Sarah Willis, Mozart y Mambo (2020). The record presents the beautiful Cuban classics “Dos gardenias” and “El manisero” while giving Mozart some extra zing. Willis and the ensemble’s follow-up 2022 recording, Mozart y Mambo: Cuban Dances, fuses Willis' impressive classical chops with Havana’s famous salsa, son, mambo and bolero rhythms. Through support from Germany’s Goethe-Institut and the Balthasar-Neumann Ensemble, the Havana Lyceum Orchestra has become a privately funded professional touring ensemble that upends Cuban music conventions.