LA boys' chorus chimes in Cuba-U.S. thaw

The Young Men's Ensemble (YME), one of the six formal ensembles of the Los Angeles Children's Chorus, kicked off a week-long schedule of concerts Monday in Havana, accompanied by Cuba's most prestigious choral groups.

Monday night's opening concert featured the YME and Cuba's Cantoria Coralillo at the House of the Americas in Havana, the National Center for Concert Music said in a press release.

Featuring the singing of teenage boys who are going through vocal transition, the YME will offer a workshop with the Cuban men's choir Camerata Vocale Sine Nomine on the following day.

This is not the first time the two choirs have performed together.

In February 2014, Sine Nomine, one of Cuba's leading choirs, toured the U.S. state of California, sharing the stage with the YME.

Leonel Garcia, from Cuba's National Center for Concert Music, said a variety of U.S. groups have confirmed performances in Cuba through the first quarter of 2016.

Since the United States and Cuba announced in December their willingness to restore bilateral ties, there has been an increase in the number of U.S. artists visiting the island. Endi