Legacies, Landscapes and the People of Cuba
With Peabody Professor Tim Murphy
January 15-25, 2013
Cuba, with its defiant history, is a resplendent tropical island unlike any other in the Caribbean. With the recent changes to OFAC regulations regarding travel to Cuba we are now able to explore this island of contrasts with its rich culture, still largely unfamiliar to the West. Throughout this licensed program there will be opportunities to meet Cubans from different walks of contemporary Cuban life.
The trip begins with four nights in Havana and a specially designed walking tour of Old Havana which harbors the greatest wealth of Spanish colonial architecture in the western hemisphere, a treasure trove of churches, palaces, citadels and mansions wedged along narrow streets or looming over palm-fringed plazas. In the afternoon enjoy an tour accompanied by a wonderful architectural historian, with stops in Miramar, once the bastion of the Cuban aristocracy, whose grand old homes are set along wide boulevards. The history of Cuban political development is well illustrated at the Presidential Palace – now a museum – and a discussion with a local economist will allow the group to focus on recent changes in Cuba’s economic policy. Understand the American perspective on these issues at a special meeting at the US Interest Section in Havana. Meet with contemporary artists and see how art in Cuba has transformed itself since the Revolution, shifting from content that glorifies revolutionaries to one that embodies intensely personal and introspective expressions.
Our program continues to Trinidad, Camaguey and Santiago where we have the opportunity to engage with Cubans who live in these cities. We will learn more about their lives, access to education and healthcare, and the impact that the new regulations on private enterprise have had on them. Return home from Santiago.
Trip Lectures
Tim Murphy's lectures will focus on an introduction to and history of Cuban music, the future of music in Cuba and the influence and popularity of Cuban music in North America in the 20th century.
Find Out More
For more information or to register:
Contact Distant Horizons at 800-333-1240 between 8:30am and 5:30pm PST.
To request a brochure:
Contact us at 800-548-5481 or travel@jhu.edu.
Tim Murphy is professor of jazz piano, theory and composition at Peabody Conservatory where he received a BMA and MMA in organ performance. He also conducts and arranges for the Peabody Latin jazz ensemble. He has performed and recorded with such Grammy winning Latin artists as Dave Samuels and the Afro Bop Alliance ensemble. For 25 years he has been a member of Palmetto recording artists Rumba Club, a group whose guest artists have included Andy Gonzalez, Nestor Torres and Tito Puente. As a jazz pianist Tim has worked with such artists as Jimmy Heath, Charlie Rouse, Curtis Fuller, Woody Shaw, Pat Metheny and Gary Thomas, As well as performing and conducting Latin jazz, Tim maintains an active career as an organist. He teaches organ and harpsichord at Towson University and is an active recitalist. Tim has held the position of organist at St. Ignatius church in Baltimore since 1983.