... I affirm that Niurka González has a unique and exceptional talent, both for her qualities as an instrumentalist and for her musical gifts. It is quite rare to hear such a complete subject of such a young age. ... I think I can affirm that she will be the great Latin American flute player of the future.
Alain Marion, Master of the Paris Conservatory of Music (1995). Letter fragment.
Born on March 21, 1977, she began her musical studies at the "Manuel Saumell" Conservatory of Havana in 1989. After graduating as a flutist and clarinetist at the "Amadeo Roldán" Conservatory in 1995. She continued her studies and in 1997 obtained the First Prize at the Higher Conservatory of Paris (CNR) later, in 1999, the Gold Diploma from the Instituto Superior de Arte, La Habana.
She graduated in 2012 from the Pre-doctoral Diploma in Hispanic Musical Heritage subscribed to the Postgraduate Department of the San Gerónimo University College of Havana. Master in Management of the historical-documentary heritage of music, in 2017, condition granted by the San Gerónimo de La Habana University College (University of Havana).
She received classes from the teachers Alain Marion and Sophie Cherrier, Claudi Arimany, Andras Adorjan and Luisa Mercedes Hernández, Alina Kusiak and Luis Bayard she attended master classes from Jean-Pierre Rampal, Michel susDebost and Barthold Kuijken.
Her performances as soloist with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional of Cuba led by the Masters Leo Brouwer, Enrique Pérez Mesa, Iván del Prado, Jorge López Marín, Jean Paul Penin, Sebrina Alfonso and Bernard Rubenstein, with the National Concert Band, stand out. Orquesta de Cámara Música Eterna conducted by Guido López Gavilán, with the Solistas de La Habana, with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Instituto Superior de Arte, La Habana, attached to the Lyceum Mozartiano, under the direction of José Antonio Méndez Padrón and with the Orquesta de Cámara de La Habana conducted by Daiana García, with the Camerata Romeu conducted by Zenaida Romeu, with the European Community Chamber Orchestra under the direction of the Norwegian violinist E claim Aadland, with the wind ensemble of the Rouen Opera, as well as with prominent orchestras in Chile , Brazil and the Dominican Republic.
Winner of the Grand Prize in the 1991 and 1994 "Amadeo Roldán" contests; Grand Prize at the VI Chamber Music Contest and Conference of the National Concert Music Center in 1993; Prize in the Chamber Music Contest of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), 1993; Prize in the IX Festival and Contest of Contemporary Music "José Ardevol"; First place in the Musicalia'95 Contest of Instituto Superior de Arte, La Habana. In 2009 she received the Eternal Spiral Award that was awarded for the first time by the Office of Master Leo Brouwer, Lucas Award for the best Instrumental Video in 2014, 2020 Batuta Award granted by the Latin Institute of Music (ILM). She was awarded in 2020, by the government of France, the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters).
She has represented Cuba at the Mozart Woche in Salzburg in 2015, and at festivals in Ecuador, Brazil, Mexico, United Kingdom, France, among others, where she has performed concerts and master classes.
Her collaboration as a soloist and as a member of various chamber music formats has led her to perform in prestigious venues in Mexico, Austria, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Germany, Spain, Chile, France, China, England, Italy, Brazil, Paraguay, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, Uruguay and the United States.
She was invited by Maestro Claudio Abaddo in 2000 to participate in the orchestral improvement courses sponsored by the “Gustav Mahler” Foundation held in the cities of Ferrara and Bolzano.
In 2002 he recorded his first CD "Flauta Virtuosa" together with the pianist María del Henar Navarro, this CD won the award for the best "Opera Prima" in the 2003 Cubadisco contest. In the CubaDisco 2018 edition he received the Special Prize for the Excellence for the CD Havana-Paris (Hopefully) and En Viaje (Colibrí).
During all these years, his collaborations in recordings and concerts by musicians such as Silvio Rodríguez, Leo Brouwer, José María Vitier, Amaury Pérez, Ernán Lopez-Nussa, Liuba María Hevia, Chucho Valdés, Guido López Gavilán, Jorge López Marín, Joaquín Clerch stand out. , Frank Fernández, Josué Tacoronte, Jorge Reyes, Camerata Romeu, Pavel Steidl, Ricardo Gallén, the Latin American Quartet, Brouwer Trio, Simone Dinnerstein, Sibel Pensel, Alessandro Stella among others. Since 1996 she, together with the pianist María del Henar Navarro, has been a member of the Ondina Duo.
She carries out a systematic work that encourages the exchange and teaching of her instrument between Cuban students and flutists with instrumentalists from different countries.
Member of the jury of the 4th. International Flute Competition Maxence Larrieu 2019 and Latin of the American Flute Competition 2020.
Currently is soloist at the National Center for Concert Music of the Institute of Music of Cuba, is part of the group of musicians that accompanies the troubadour Silvio Rodríguez, integrates the Ondina Duo with the pianist María del Henar Navarro since 1996 and is also a teacher flute assistant at the Higher Institute of Art in Havana, Cuba.