Zurich/The Cuban singer-songwriter Carlos Varela will return to Zurich with an acoustic concert at the Stok Theater, where he will perform alone, accompanied only by his guitar. The performance is part of the seventh edition of the KultArt Festival Zürich, which will be held from November 24 to 29, 2026, with a program dedicated to cultural exchange and different musical traditions.
It will be the only presentation of the musician in Switzerland during this visit and will mark his return to the same stage where he gave a concert in September 2024. The new event proposes a close encounter with the public, in which the songs, personal stories and the voice of the artist will occupy the center of the evening.
Born in Havana in 1963, Varela belongs to the generation of troubadours that began to be heard during the 1980s. His work is distinguished by a critical look at Cuban reality, expressed through poetic images, urban characters and stories that address the frustrations, dreams and contradictions of several generations.
Known as El Gnomo, the musician has built a repertoire that includes compositions such as William Tell, one word, like fish and Walls and doors. His songs have accompanied moments of change in Cuban society and have also found an audience among emigrants, for whom many of his lyrics retain a particular emotional charge.
Varela’s international career includes concerts in Europe, the United States and Latin America. your song one word It reached wide circulation outside Cuba when it was included in the film man on fire (2004), starring Denzel Washington and directed by Tony Scott.
The acoustic format chosen for Zurich will allow us to appreciate a particularly intimate facet of his work. Without the accompaniment of a band, Varela will recover the direct relationship between the voice, the guitar and the word, characteristic of the Cuban troubadour tradition.
