CubaPLUS Magazine

The glory of the vocal group Novel Voz transcends musical borders with an impactful mix of sounds from the stages of Cuba and the world through multiple cultural exchanges.  
Since 2012, the masterful direction of Roberto Carlos Cruz has taken the Cuban ensemble to the peak of success in different international events such as the Moscow Music Festival, Russia (2004), where they shared the stage with soloists and jazz musicians from Brazil and the United States.

Since it began in 1999, the vocal group has belonged to the catalog of the National Center of Popular Music and has produced six records, including an album of carols recorded in Spain, a record in Brazil, and two in Cuba, where the CD bearing the group's name was awarded Best Group of the Year, in the Cubadisco awards (2005).

In exclusive statements to CubaPLUS Magazine, their director said that they also sang for the American filmmaker Steven Spielberg and for presidents such as Bolivia's Evo Morales and Venezuela's Hugo Chávez (1954-2013); in addition to participating in the World Festival of Youth and Students in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in 2005, where they played the classic Caballo Viejo in front of its songwriter, Simón Díaz. 

Cruz, 46, and his group have developed the ability to sound like a full orchestra, although the original sound comes from five voices: two sopranos, a mezzo-soprano and two tenors, accompanied by a vocal sequence of bass and percussion, "who have achieved numerous successes and great record sales in international presentations in France, Spain, Austria".

On the international stages they have been an echo of Cuban culture, traditions and identity, with a diverse repertoire that includes genres such as salsa, son, jazz, blue, reggae, pop and merengue. 

Their own identity
In 2000, they began working with the cultural agency Canada Cuba Sports, through employment contracts, especially for the city of Vancouver and different Canadian islands, and the British Columbia region, said the group director.

Two years later Novel Voz participated in the closing gala of Cubadisco, dedicated to Puerto Rico, accompanying the famous singer Dany Rivera, with the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba and special performances by Buena Vista Social Club diva Omara Portuondo and prominent pianist Frank Fernández.

Their extensive career abroad is endorsed with presentations at the Festival L´Humanité (2010), where they held several concerts in regions of southern France, and at the International Festival of Echoes in Bilbao, Spain (2012).

In 2017, the group began recording its seventh album, a tribute to the founding rhythms of Cuban music, with a mixture of different genres such as contradanza, danzón, mambo, bolero and nueva trova.

“We have eight songs recorded and mixed, still needing mastering and naming; we want to make an album with 11 or 13 songs; there's still more arranging to do, and the distribution of voices is not an easy task,” explained Roberto Carlos Cruz. 

Such principles govern the work of Novel Voz. “We imitate the sound of the instruments, we try to make it as real and close as possible to a Cuban popular orchestra; this is not studied in any art school, it's about aptitude and putting in the effort,” he concluded.