NIURKA GONZÁLEZ

BIOGRAPHY:
Born in Havana, Cuba, on 1977. She began her musical studies at 10 at a specialized school of music in Havana. Subsequently she crossed de Atlantic to study in Paris at the Conservatoire National Supérieure (class Sophie Cherrier) where she won first prize at the graduation exams in 1997. In 1999 she obtained the Gold Diploma from the Instituto Superior de Arte de La Habana. She graduated in 2012 from the Pre-doctoral Diploma in Hispanic Musical Heritage and in 2017 Master in Management of the historical-documentary heritage of music, both conditions granted by the San Gerónimo de La Habana University College (University of Havana).In 2020 she received the Batuta Prize and in 2021 she has been awarded the 'Chevalier del Arts' et des Lettres distinction awarded by the French Ministry of Culture and the Order for Cuban National Culture.

Her performances as soloist with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional of Cuba with the National Concert Band, Orquesta de Cámara Música Eterna, with the Solistas de La Habana, with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Instituto Superior de Arte, La Habana, attached to the Lyceum Mozartiano, with the Orquesta de Cámara de La Habana, with the Camerata Romeu, with the European Community Chamber Orchestra, with the wind ensemble of the Rouen Opera, as well as with prominent orchestras in Chile , Brazil and the Dominican Republic.

Both as a soloist and chamber musician, she was awarded with prizes in national competitions. She has been on the international concert scene as a soloist and as chamber music partner. She has represented Cuba at the Mozart Woche in Salzburg in 2015, and at festivals in Ecuador, Brazil, Mexico, United Kingdom, France, among others, where she has performed concerts.

She teaches flute at the Instituto Superior de Arte de La Habana as well as teaching master classes in the USA, Europe, Caribbean and Latin American countries. Niurka was member of the jury of the 4th. International Flute Competition Maxence Larrieu 2019 and the Latinamerican Flute Competition, 2020.

Niurka González has recorded the CD 'Flauta Virtuosa' and CD Havana-Paris (Ojalá) and En Viaje (Colibrí). She carries out a systematic work that encourages the exchange and teaching of her instrument between Cuban students and flutists with instrumentalists from different countries.

Currently Niurka is soloist at the National Center for Concert Music of the Institute of Music of Cuba, is part of the group of musicians that accompanies the troubadour Silvio Rodríguez, integrates the Ondina Duo with the pianist María del Henar Navarro since 1996.