The 67-year-old singer-songwriter, historian, and cultural researcher died this Wednesday, October 20, after being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Calderón Guardia hospital after suffering breathing problems due to covid-19. His death was confirmed by the Supreme Electoral Court in the Civil Registry section.
During his artistic career, Cabal also devoted himself to history and cultural research. He was born on August 13, 1954 in San José, the son of the poets Ana Antillón and Antidio Cabal.
He was a singer-songwriter, popular culture researcher, director, screenwriter, radio and television producer, journalism student, historian and self-taught philologist, and author of books on the Costa Rican tradition.
He founded the New Costa Rican Song movement in 1971 along with artists such as Rubén Pagura, Rosi Soley and Orlando Gamboa.
In 1980 he established the Cantares group together with Aurelia Trejos, Juan Carlos Mena and Fernando Mena with the intention of consolidating the work of cultural projection.
With Cantares he produced 14 records and performed several cantatas, including “La Guerra de 1856”, “La Libertad” and “Nuestra Señora del Mar”.
Cantares received the award for the Best Vocal Group in the country in 1982, the medal from the Universidad Javeriana de Colombia in 1985, in 1992 the ACAM award for the best music group and in 1995 it was declared a group of cultural interest. The group maintained a critical position against the FTA with the United States.
Cabal carried out a work of cultural rescue with his songs and has preserved the oral tradition (tongue twisters, word games, sayings, bombs, legends) and has contributed the theoretical analysis of Costa Rican memory.
He also created the program “Somos como Somos” on National Radio, “Trovadores de la Quinta Noche” and “Prisma Político” for Channel 13, “Ticos y punto” on Channel 7 and was part of the SINART founding team.
Cabal received the Joaquín García Monge Award in 2000, the ACAM award for his program “Trovadores de la Quinta Noche” in 2006, the ACAM award for the best national music composer in 2008 and best national singer-songwriter and in 2008 the 18 awards from April for conservation of intangible heritage, awarded by ICOMOS.
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.
