CUBA - Music Study Camp
Date: Jan 10-18 2026
Venue: Matanzas, Cuba
Leaders: Jesús Bello, members of Grupo Afro Cuba & Los Muñequitos, Olga Blanco, artist collective El Almacen and Karla Mundy
Price: $1750 CAD + $100 CAD Registration Fee + GST - based on double occupancy (covers in country costs but does not cover airfare)
*Single supplement is an extra $300 CAD
REGISTRATION WILL OPEN AUGUST 10th at 11:00 am PST.
**This trip is currently full but we will accepting names on the waitlist and often spots do open up!
SongRoutes is offering an intensive musical study trip in Matanzas, Cuba designed for people who love to sing and dance. This trip will serve as an introduction to several singing and dance traditions. Instrumental study could be provided as well based on level and interest. Applicants must be hearty & easy going travellers who love to learn music by ear and dance every day! Due to the difficult economic situation in Cuba, we will be prepared to be flexible and adventurous.
Cuba is famous for the incredible richness of its musical traditions and innovations. It truly is one of the world's musical hot spots. On this trip we will be exploring popular & folkloric singing styles - (Son, Trova, Rumba and Afro-Cuban folkloric) and dancing traditions (Rumba, Afro-Cuban folkloric and Son).
Our study portion of the trip will consist of..
-5-6 singing workshops with Jesús Bello -highly respected singer and educator from Santa Clara. Jesús will be introducing us to Son and Trova singing - working on lead and harmony singing. Jesús will be joined by Olga Blanco - a wonderful singer and the director of Sala White. Long time friends and colleagues, Jesús and Olga will lead us through these duets together. Read more about Jesús below!
-5-6 dance classes, drumming and folkloric singing classes (son dance, Afro-Cuban dance and drum. We will study with past and present members of Grupo Afro-Cuba and Los Muñequitos de Matanzas
-a workshop in Rumba 'coro' singing with one Matanzas' lead rumba group.
-partner dancing with members of El Almacen artist collective
Other activities would include
-attending several performances of some of Matanzas' best ensembles
-meeting and working with the amazing Artist Collective 'El Almacen'
-enjoying a beach day in Varadero.
-exploring some of the sights around the city of Matanzas
-a shared event with 'Raices' - a traditional son group from Santa Clara.
Venues
We will stay in casa particulars (private homes) in Matanzas- the best way to experience Cuba! We will stay in a collection of homes all near the main street, close to the beautiful main city square and Sala White. We will eat breakfast together as several large groups in various home. Dinners are included and we will eat together in different restaurants around the city. Lunches will be on your own.
We will be holding almost all classes in the beautiful Sala White (famous as the birthplace of Danzon, Cuba's national dance)
Matanzas
Matanzas is a lesser known city but is a vibrant cultural centre - famous for it's rich Afro-Cuban folkloric culture and home to a thriving arts scene.
Matanzas is about 100 km to the east of Havana and 45 km to the west of Varadero - famous for some of Cuba's best beaches.
REGISTRATION WILL OPEN Aug 1st 2025
Cost covers all accommodations, class tuition, all breakfasts, all dinners, all workshops and concerts.
Flights to and from Cuba are not included.
INSTRUCTORS
Jesús Bello
Jesús Bello hails from Santa Clara, in the centre of Cuba and is steeped in the Cuban son tradition. Throughout his career Jesus has combined life as a professional musician with education. Accolades include winning the Cuba-wide competition “Sonero del Año” as a singer, several years touring the world with Cuban L’aud Maestro Barbarito Torres of Buena Vista Social Club and 7 years as the lead singer of renowned Cuban son band Sierra Maestra. You can see Jesús sing HERE
Whilst he has gained fame as a vocalist, Jesus is a talented multi-instrumentalist and has taught music at the school of arts in Santa Clara for over 20 years. One of his recent projects, which has gained national recognition, is to train a band of students in traditional Charanga style. He is currently director of Raices, a son group from Villa Clara. You can check them out HERE and Jesús is the lead singer playing the bass. Raices will join us near the end of our trip for a musical meet up and exchange!
Grupo Afro Cuba & Los Muñequitos
We will be working with various past and present members of Grupo Afro-Cuba and Los Muñequitos de Matanzas.
They will be teaching us Afro-Cuban dance, rhythm and singing during our week in Matanzas.
Both of these groups are legendary and extremely important to the musical foundations of Matanzas.
We will be introduced to Rumba and Orisha songs and dances.
El Almacen
El Almacén, Matanzas' first independently owned and operated recording studio. Our headquarters are located in the heart of the city known as the cradle of Afro Cuban music and culture. El Almacén operates as a true arts collective, bringing together the finest musicians, painters, visual artists, sculptors, and theater artists that Matanzas has to offer. El Almacén is a professional recording studio dedicated to bringing the vibrant and unique musical landscape of Matanzas to the rest of the world. For years in Cuba, we have dreamed of presenting our music the way that we hear it, and for the first time ever that dream has become a reality. We seek to empower musicians to become the agents of their own creative identities and to bring to the world what until now have been our own hidden treasures.
El Almacén are working to build our study experience in Matanzas and without their guidance and friendship this trip would be impossible.
You can learn more about El Almacen HERE