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Omara Portuondo

Her house in Cayo Hueso, Havana, was a hotbed of rhythms. Omara grew up listening to Ernesto Grenet and Sindo Garay. For this woman of gentle manners and enviable vocal power, those were the most genuine singing lessons she ever took. She later faced the acid test. In the 1950s, Omara joined the Anacaona Orchestra and became a member of the most outstanding women’s vocal quartet of Cuban music: Las De Aída. This remarkable singer has recorded over 28 albums, traveled around the world with Buena Vista Social Club and shared the spotlight with Édith Piaf, Pedro Vargas, Rita Montaner, Bola de Nieve, Benny Moré and Nat King Cole. The “Bride of Feeling” is still head over heels in love with music and life. 
How did the environment around little Omara influence her education?
I still carry my neighborhood inside of me, my house at Salud Street. I love those popular places. I remember that I used to participate in congas. My parents gave me the opportunity to make my debut in this world. I was fond of participating in the fairs that used to take place at Trillo Park. I loved street vendors’ cries. The environment where I grew up helped me develop my interest in music. I was very happy at my parents’ house.
How did you actually get into the music realm?
No, I didn’t go to the music, the music came to me. Nature gives you the pitch for music. You’re born with that talent.
What else did Omara do as both a child and a young girl?
I stood out playing basketball at the elementary school and I was also good at swimming. I loved rumba, dance. I was a member of Alberto Alonso’s group, one of the founders of Cuba’s National Ballet. I would’ve loved to be a classic ballet dancer. I admire Alicia Alonso. She worked very hard so we could have ballet in Cuba.
I worked in Tropicana, singing and dancing folklore, popular music. I presently enjoy baseball. My father was a famous baseball player.
An Evocation: Las De Aida
Aida Diestro greatly influenced my career. She was an excellent human being, a teacher, I learned a lot from her. She was linked to the members of the Feeling group where I used to sing.
Orlando de la Rosa, who had his vocal quartet, once needed two female voices to go on a tour in the United States and he took two singers: Elena Burque and me.
That was how I became close to vocal quartets and Elena, although I had already met her in radio shows where I used to participate.
Haydee Portuondo, my sister, had a great voice. She was a lyric singer, with high-pitched vocal skills. Moraima Secada, who had worked as a skirt pleater, was an excellent singer too. We were led by Aida Diestro, who arranged our voices as a quartet. We became one of the most emblematic women’s quartets ever in Cuban music.
Why have you been nicknamed the “Bride of Feeling” over the decades?
When I was twelve or thirteen years old I heard that there was a group of boys who used to gather on San Jose Street to sing. They were: painter Cesar Portillo de la Luz, Jose Antonio Mendez, acclaimed pianist Frank Emilio and Rosendo Ruiz Jr.
I was interviewed by 1010 radio station on Reina Street. Manolo Ortega was the broadcaster. We had a show where English songs were sung. The broadcaster asked me if I would get upset for being called Omara Brown, the “Bride of Feeling”. I said no, of course, and since then I was known as the “Bride of Feeling”.
Starting in November, I’ll perform with Buena Vista Social Club in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and other countries.
Cuban music is enjoyed in every nook and cranny of the earth. The public gives us a great acclaim. I’ll keep on, just like I say, emitting sounds, those that attract people. You can be sure that I will sing for the rest of my life.