Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel congratulated Master Jose Maria Vitier, who on Sunday was awarded the 2021 National Music Prize.

At the ceremony, the jury pointed out that Vitier is the owner of one of the most important and solid works of the composers of his generation, and described him as the right bridge between popular and concert music.

Jose Maria Vitier received the award from minister of culture, Alpidio Alonso, and expressed that it is a blessing to have been born a musician in the country of music.

He thanked the teachers who educated his inspiration, and also his pupils in more than six decades of work.

Pianist, composer and arranger, Vitier (Havana, January 7, 1954) has recorded more than 30 albums as author and performer, and has twice won the Grand Prize for best album of the year in Cuba.