A Possible Dream

At only 19 years old, talented pianist Mario Orlando El Fakih Hernández is thought to be among those making history in Cuban music in the present century for his masterly way of playing important pieces of the Cuban and international repertoire.

Mayito, as his friends call him, welcomed us at his small home in the upscale Miramar district of Havana. This young Cuban combines his music studies with age appropriate activities, although the piano does not leave him too much time for leisure.

Despite receiving several awards in competitions, including international ones, Mayito does not boast, but talks of his work and dedication to his instrument, which he considers his best friend, with modesty.

When very young, he began by dedicating himself to swimming, still his favorite sport, but one day he accompanied a cousin to a music appreciation workshop and saw a piano. It was love at first sight and he realized his future was not sports but music