Elena Casanova - Ensueños De Cuba - Daydreams of Cuba (2021)

The idea for this album came to me when my two young children were taking piano lessons. As they were developing musically, I became obsessed with giving them diverse musical experiences. I myself had expanded from a classical musical upbringing into other improvisational forms and it had been a natural process. I was puzzled by my ability to blend in with the different styles without having a complete understanding of the genres as I collaborated with jazz musicians.

In 2011 on a family trip to Florida, we visited my dear conservatory piano teacher, Marilola, who I consider my musical Mother. While we were talking about music for children, she brought out a series of books I recognized from long ago. Memories of being seven years old, studying at the music conservatory in Cuba came fl ooding back. One book particularly stood out and that was the “Miniaturas Rítmicas Cubanas”. The composer, Maria Matilde Alea, who I often saw at the conservatory, wrote these pieces for the students and they are still now considered part of the early education pedagogy core in Cuba.

Alea received many awards in her career from the Ministerio de Cultura in Cuba and consistent international recognition – but not nearly as much as she deserved. As a little girl I played the Guajira, Ritmo de Son, Canción de la Esclava, Bolero, and many more and I loved them. Little did I know the importance these formative works would play in my musical career. Cuban classical musicians the world over are recognized for their rhythmic connection and their ability to apply rhythm and meter to different genres of music. I fi nd that it is not only because of our Afro-Cuban roots, it is because of the training we received. The roots are important, the early education was crucial, but the tools that we were given from our teachers are extraordinary.

This was my Aha! moment. Ensueños de Cuba is a nostalgic musical travelogue of not just Alea, but of the many Cuban composers and teachers that shaped my musical career. This is my gift to my children – honoring the roots, honoring the composers and honoring the teachers that provided the musical diversity that shaped me as a teacher, performer and Mom! [Elena Casanova, January 2021]

Elena Casanova has a special enthusiasm for the music of Cuba where she was born, which has inspired her to perform and record a great deal of music of her roots. A performer as well as a musician, Elena has collaborated with numerous
artists and is as comfortable playing chamber music as well as improvising on Latin tunes; music is the core of her life. An unbreakable spirit, engaging style, joyfulness and passion are always present. Elena studied at the Alejandro Garcia Caturla Music Conservatory in Havana, San Francisco Conservatory and Pacifi c Union College. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance from the University of Redlands in California. Casanova studied with Robert Bowman, Daniel Glover, Annie Kim (a student of the Cuban pianist Jorge Bolet), Louanne Long, Maria D. “Marilola” Vasquez Robles, Tom Turinia, and Dr. Lynn Wheeler.