Music is famously central to the Cuban spirit and way of life. Like the old American cars that fill the streets, the musical instruments Cubans play have weathered decades of humid tropical climate. Without the resources or craft skills to keep them maintained, Cuban musicians hold their instruments together with the equivalent of spit and chewing gum. In 2011, a US-based group of musicians and instrument artisans created an organization called Horns to Havana to help address this problem. H2H has been sending artisans from the US to Cuba every year since then to repair these instruments and teach young Cubans the skills they need to keep them in good condition. The story begins as Oscar/Emmy/Grammy-winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (The Celluloid Closet, Linda Ronstadt:The Sound of My Voice, Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music) follow a string bass from a workshop in lower Manhattan to Havana, Cuba, and into the hands of 16-year-old Lily.
Documentary screening, 71 minutes, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, directors and producers
Join us in-person or online!
If you plan to attend in person at the Museums, tickets are available on the day of the lecture in the Welcome Center.
Members: FREE
Springfield residents: $4
Nonmembers: $4
To attend via ZOOM, please register in advance.
