Celia Cruz Centennial Celebration 1925 - 2025

Next date: Friday, January 31, 2025 | 08:00 PM to 10:00 PM

Experience a dazzling evening of glamour and tropical elegance transporting you to 1950s Havana. Celebrate the centennial of Celia Cruz with an electrifying performance by Lucrecia and the Celia Cruz All Stars reimagining the golden era of Celia Cruz and La Sonora Matancera.

 

"I come out on stage to bring her alive." - Lucrecia, Billboard

Hear Lucrecia Tribute to Celia Cruz

 

Cuban artist Lucrecia will embody Celia Cruz, accompanied by the Celia Cruz All Stars, in a night reverberating with the sounds of the Queen of Salsa and La Sonora Matancera’s original music charts.

Live music shows are presented in the historic Banyan Bowl amphitheater, an acoustically stunning amphitheater under a spectacular geodesic dome.

A companion documentary exhibition leading up to the concert will showcase historical photographs and memorabilia, including the famous “Cucaracha Dress”, transporting audiences to 1950s Havana. The exhibition will be on view from December 7, 2024, through February 2, 2025.

Centennial Celebration
The Celia Cruz Estate and the Celia Cruz Foundation are honored to present the Centennial Celebration of the inimitable Celia Cruz in 2025, featuring a series of performances, exhibitions, and related events. Official festivities will commence in October 2025 to honor Celia’s 100th birthday, continuing through the end of 2026. Pre-centennial events will kick off in January 2025 with a nostalgic and glamorous evening, where Lucrecia and the Celia Cruz All Stars will reimagine Celia’s golden era with La Sonora Matancera of 1950s Havana as part of Pinecrest Gardens’ Tropical Nights series. As we approach the Centenary on October 21, 2025, Celia Cruz’s legacy shines brighter than ever. The Centennial will celebrate her immense contributions to music and her status as a cultural icon, highlighting her remarkable journey and the profound impact she had on fans across diverse backgrounds. Celia's dedication to her craft, cultural heritage, and indomitable spirit continue to inspire and uplift artists and fans worldwide.

About Lucrecia
At the early age of seven, Lucrecia began studying piano and music and was certified with a specialty in piano at Instituto Superior de Arte de Cuba. She studied singing with Isolina Carrillo, the composer of the famous bolero Dos Gardenias, popularized in Spain by Cuban singer Antonio Machín. Soon after completing her education, Lucrecia joined La Orquesta Anacaona, an all-female group that became a Cuban institution since its founding in 1932. In the 1980s and early 1990s, she made several international tours with the group. It was with Anacaona, as lead vocalist, keyboardist, and arranger, that Lucrecia first arrived in Spain. Later, in 1993, she left Anacaona and returned to settle in Barcelona, where she has remained. Since establishing her solo career there, she became active in Spanish film, television, and music. Though not yet well known in the English-speaking world, Lucrecia has been touted as a successor to the great Celia Cruz, with whom she was a close friend.

Lucrecia's 2010 Álbum de Cuba was nominated for Best Contemporary Tropical Album at the 2010 Latin Grammy Awards. Throughout her career, Lucrecia collaborated and performed with numerous masters of the art, including Celia Cruz, Paquito D’Rivera, Chano Domínguez, Joaquín Sabina, Wyclef Jean, Carlos Patato Valdes, Carel Kraayenhof, Willy Chirino, Chavela Vargas, Lluís Llach, Gilberto Gil, Israel Cachao López, Andy García, Carlos Jean, Nuno da Câmara Pereira and more.

Among her most notable collaborations is Cachao: The Last Mambo, a winning album at the 2011 Latin Grammy Awards and the 2012 Grammy Awards. Based on a memorable concert recorded live in Miami in September 2007, the album was a tribute to Israel Cachao Lopez celebrating the 80-year musical career of that great master.

Celia Cruz All Stars
The music of Celia Cruz lives on with the Celia Cruz All Stars, talented musicians who pay tribute to the hits immortalized by La Guarachera de Cuba. Many of the band members played with Celia at some point in her career. They celebrate Celia’s classics with a twist of funk in songs like La Negra Tiene Tumbao, Quimbara, Usted Abusó, La Vida Es Un Carnaval, and Bemba Colora, among others, honoring one of the most influential artists of all times.

Live music shows are presented in the historic Banyan Bowl amphitheater, an acoustically stunning amphitheater under a spectacular geodesic dome.

 

Thanks to our Tropical Nights Sponsors and Partners We extend our gratitude to our sponsors and partners for their generosity and support: Steinway & Sons, Miami-Dade County Cultural Affairs, Actualidad, WLRN, and WDNA

The Tropical Nights at Pinecrest Gardens subscriptions and tickets are non-refundable. Artists, titles, and dates are subject to change.

 

 

When

Location

Banyan Bowl, 11000 Red Road, Pinecrest FL, 33156, View Map