El Festival de Música Religiosa de Canarias ofrece veinte conciertos en el Archipiélago

The Festival de Música Religiosa de Canarias (FMRC) arrives for the nineteenth year in a row to the archipelago with a lineup of twenty concerts that can be enjoyed between March 6 and April 6 in eighteen municipalities across all the islands, with free and open entry until full capacity.

The City Council of La Laguna hosted the presentation of the program on Thursday, led by the Director General of Cultural Innovation and Creative Industries of the Government of Canarias, Cristóbal de la Rosa; the Councilor of Culture and President of the Autonomous Body of Musical Activities of La Laguna, Adrián del Castillo; and the artistic director of the festival, Gregorio Gutiérrez.

La Laguna will host two concerts as part of this cultural event. The first one will take place on March 8 at the church of Nuestra Señora de La Concepción, at 8:00 pm, featuring the program ‘Infirmata, Vulnerata’, a tribute to the Sicilian composer Alessandro Scarlatti on the 300th anniversary of his passing.

The second concert in La Laguna will be on March 22, at the church of Santo Domingo, at 8:30 pm, featuring the program ‘Statit gallus cantavit’, directed by the Spanish composer Tomás Marco. This piece is written for tenor, baritone, and chamber orchestra.

In this regard, the Councilor of Culture stated, «It is an honor for La Laguna to be chosen once again as the venue for the XIX Festival de Música Religiosa de Canarias. Opening our temples to culture and introducing sacred music to the citizens is a privilege, especially when done alongside great references in the genre.»

He further added, «This event also brings us a gift. We will be the venue for the world premiere of a new piece by composer Tomás Marco, which promises to be one of the most innovative proposals of this festival.»

Cristóbal de la Rosa congratulated the artistic director for «reaching nineteen years of a festival that is not easy to maintain with a high-quality program, as is the case, and for reaching a very specific audience.» He emphasized the importance of supporting culture in all its forms as it generates economic, emotional, and community well-being among the residents.

Finally, the festival’s artistic director, Gregorio Gutiérrez, highlighted the other concerts that will explore the religious temples of municipalities across all the islands, except La Graciosa, through four extraordinary programs. He expressed gratitude for the support of all the institutions that make this festival possible and emphasized that it is thanks to this support that they achieve high standards of quality in the concerts offered, catering to all types of audiences.

About the festival

There are four programs to enjoy during the month-long festival, starting with ‘Infirmata, Vulnerata’, a tribute to the Sicilian composer Alessandro Scarlatti, conducted by Eduardo López Banzo. This concert will be presented in Gran Canaria, La Palma, and Tenerife from March 6 to 8.

Another highlight of this edition is the world premiere of ‘Statit gallus cantavit’, a piece commissioned to the renowned Spanish composer Tomás Marco. This composition is part of the second program along with Giacomo Puccini’s ‘Messa di Gloria’ (1880), conducted by maestro Gregorio Gutiérrez alongside the Ainur Chamber Choir, the festival orchestra, and international soloists José de Eça (tenor) and Paul Edelmann (baritone). It can be heard from March 13 to 15 in Gran Canaria, and from March 21 to 23 in Tenerife.

For the third program, soprano Olalla Alemán and harpsichordist Luis Antonio González from Los Músicos de Su Alteza will present a monographic program of J. S. Bach, dedicated to spiritual songs and arias of the Lutheran tradition and pietism. This program will be presented on all the islands, except La Graciosa, from March 27 to 30 and from April 3 to 5.

And for the fourth program, serving as the festival’s closure, a gem from the Spanish Golden Age will be presented: ‘Officium Defunctorum’ by Tomás Luis de Victoria, performed by the prestigious international vocal group I Fagiolini, directed by the British maestro Robert Hollingworth. It will take place from April 3 to 6 in Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, and Tenerife.

Institutional Support

This festival is part of the Next Generation program of the European Union through the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan of the Government of Spain, and is sponsored by the Government of Canarias through Promotur and the Canarian Institute of Cultural Development; the Councils of Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro; and the city councils of La Laguna, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Arrecife – through Arrecife Cultura -, Santa Brígida, Telde, Adeje, El Sauzal, Icod de los Vinos, and Los Silos. In addition to the collaboration of the Diocese of Canarias, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Gran Canaria, and the Conservatory of Music of Gran Canaria.