In 1942, 14-year-old Olga Chorens entered the Supreme Court of the Arts singing contest at a radio station in her native Havana. "It was the top musical honor in the country," she says. Or, as her 25-year-old granddaughter, Nicolle, puts it, "it was their version of American Idol." Thanks to years of choir singing and a brazen personality, Olga won the contest and was awarded her own radio show. At the station, she met her future husband, Tony Alvarez, and "Olga y Tony" became one of Cuba's most beloved crooning couples and the stars of a variety show until they fled to Miami in 1960.
Fast-forward half a century and Olga's influence is still being felt. At age 78, and despite Tony's recent passing, she's still hosting a radio show in Miami, a tribute to the golden age of Cuban music. The oldest of her two daughters, Lissette, is an accomplished singer married to Grammy-winning Latin musician Willy Chirino; Olga's granddaughters, Nicolle and Alana, and step-granddaughters, Jessica, Olgui, and Angie, are all in the music business (her grandson, Gianfranco, is still in college); and her two step-great-grandchildren, A. J., 6, and Elis, 8, are already exhibiting perfect pitch. "It is a beautiful thing to see the whole family together and singing," she says.
Between tour dates and recording sessions, the family rarely manage to be in the same place at the same time. But when they do, it is, unsurprisingly, a musical affair.
Take Mother's Day, for example, one of the holidays they make a point of getting all the family and friends together for. A late-day brunch (night owls all, the family rarely meet up before two in the afternoon) quickly turns into an impromptu jam session, with instruments strewn about the backyard. Toasts to the three generations of moms present dissolve into group renditions of Olga and Tony's hit song "Cantemos" ("We Sing"). Angie, who's also a caterer, serves up homemade tamales, frittatas, and flan family-style. It's the kind of gathering that bucks any fussy Mother's Day clichés, proving that a festive occasion requires only a backyard, lively music, and plenty of food. You don't need to be able to carry a tune to be inspired.
Next Page: Chorens's family recipes for a Mother's Day feast
