(Prensa Latina – Cumbancha) Havana, Cuba – Antonio Koga, one of the best Japanese guitarists, in a gesture of love, human sensibility and solidarity, donated 25 Yamaha pianos to Cuban cultural education centers. The delivery ceremony was held at the Amadeo Roldan Theater Auditorium, where Koga, a Cuban music lover stated that the idea came from a visit he paid to Cuban Art Schools where he saw how instruments were needed to teach the children.
From that very moment he started collecting instruments with the help of some friends, to fix them and bring them to Cuba.”All I can do will be for children to learn music“, the Japanese guitarist said. All this have been done voluntarily by friends who responded to the call to help Cuba.
“We collected and stored them and then the Japanese Foreign Affairs Ministry helped us to bring everything to the Havana port. We never thought how much could it cost, we simply did it for the love of Cuban children“, said Koga.
The pianos will go to the Higher Institute of Art (ISA) and to elementary and middle level schools, from where excellent musicians have emerged in the last few years. The Yamaha pianos have a presence and sound similar to the grand piano, and are often used in music classes for their excellent quality.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
