Maria Teresa Linares Savio, Musicologist, and Ethnographer, was born in Havana, Cuba in August 14, 1920. She has dedicated her life as a professor and Cuban Music researcher. She has a Degree from the University of Havana in Literature and Hispanic Language Majoring Cuban Studies, PhD in Art Sciences, a Doctor Honoris Causa of the Superior Arts Institute of Cuba, from which is former tenured Lecturer. MTL, as she initials most of her hand scripts, has taught in Havana’s prestigious music conservatories“Amadeo Roldán” and “Alejandro García Caturla” as well as lecturing at the University of Havana. Since young she was involved in music interpretation and investigation. She was, along with her late husband, ethno-musicologist Argeliers León, a founder of the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba, where she carried out field researches and gave courses to students and interns. Then she was an important producer of music disks in EGREM. Later she was appointed director of the Museum of Music. She also became vice-president of the Fernando Ortiz Foundation. Her professional activities also include production of ethnographic records based on personal research and investigations, as well as Cuban Country Music, promoting rising stars as well as seasoned traditional artists. She has traveled extensively at home and abroad, visiting more than twenty countries in Europe, Africa, North, Central and South America. Dr. Linares has been president of the Musicology Section of the Association of Musicians of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba and was member of its Presidency Council, later becoming a Merit Member. Maria Teresa has an extensive bio-bibliography with emphasis in the Cuban and Latin American cultural roots. She has written 10 books, over 30 articles and more than 100 music records about Cuban and Caribbean music and ethnology. Her most distinguished books include “Introducción a Cuba”, “La Música y el Pueblo”, “La Música Entre Cuba y España”, “El Punto Cubano” musicological analysis of Cuban Country Music and “La Habanera” an in-depth analysis of a 19-Century genre still popular in Spain and Mexico, among other publications. Maria Teresa Linares has been awarded the “Frank País” Order, “Juan Marinello” Order, “Romárico Cordero” Order, Distinction for the National Culture, “Antero Regalado” Distinction, “Alejo Carpentier” Medal, National Award for Research in Culture, “Fernando Ortíz International Research Prize''” and the National Cultural Research Prize.
