El Manisero with Pablo Cano

Our string quintet plays songs from Handel, Bizet, Giordano and more with Pablo’s marionettes, including  the Peanut Vendor, Celia Cruz, a ballerina and Marie Antoinette. We finish the program with Al Torrente’s Manisero Fantasy.

Born in Cuba, Al Torrente came to this country at age eleven and grew up in Miami, playing guitar and trumpet in bands. After graduating from the University of Miami with a Theory and Composition degree, Mr. Torrente taught Composition and Arranging at the Berklee School of Music. He received a Master’s degree in Jazz Composition from the Manhattan School of Music. Al was inspired by “El manisero“, known in English as “The Peanut Vendor”, a Cuban son-pregón (street vendor’s cry) composed by Moisés Simons. His “Fantasy” is for string quintet with 2 cellos and even includes a samba whistle.

Pablo Cano is a Miami performance artist born in Havana, Cuba. He is known for his enchanting marionettes created from found objects and debris. Influenced by artists such as Alexander Calder and Pablo Picasso, as well as art movements like Magic Realism, Dada and Surrealism, he creates a dream-like world where inanimate objects spring to life.

This free event requires a ticket.