Santander, June 15, 2021.- At 1:00 p.m., the press conference was held for the presentation of the new edition of the Santander Music and Academy Encounter, which was attended by Pablo Zuloaga, Vice President and Minister of Universities, Equality, Culture and Sports of the Government of Cantabria; Paloma O’Shea, Founding President of the Reina Sofía School of Music and the Albéniz Foundation; the Mayor of Santander, Gema Igual, and the Artistic Director of the Encounter, the maestro Péter Csaba.
From July 2, more than 50 young musicians from all over Europe and 11 prestigious teachers will meet in Santander to participate in the twentieth edition of the Music Encounter. For a month they will work in the classroom and share the stage under a program that will address, as always, a large international repertoire. This year the Encounter celebrates its XX anniversary and will feature, among other notable aspects, a
“Culture has been able to overcome the most difficult year it could face and has done so with unity, with solidarity and with collaboration between institutions that I pledge to maintain and strengthen in the future. I do not resign myself to returning only to what was before… but we must be ambitious, we must have confidence that the recovery will give the cultural sector of Cantabria the response it deserves for the effort made over the past months. I want to publicly congratulate the Albéniz Foundation for doing everything possible and everything in its power not to deprive us of its traditional summer date with music, with culture. I also want to value the care and affection with which the Albéniz Foundation imbues everything it does to demonstrate, once again, its love for music, for culture,” highlighted in his speech Pablo Zuloaga, Vice President of Cantabria.
For her part, the President of the Albéniz Foundation, Paloma O’Shea, highlighted the celebration of the XX anniversary and stressed that “the Encounter is a success story, due to the cooperation of public and private entities, the musical level of its activities and, above all, its roots among citizens. I think it is also a story of the future. This year of general stoppage has shown that culture is a basic necessity and a factor of social cohesion.”
According to the Mayor of Santander, Gema Igual, “For the Santander City Council, the activity of the Albéniz Foundation is a luxury and a source of pride. One cannot conceive of summer in the Cantabrian capital without these concerts that transport us to other times, that make us vibrate and that exalt our senses, thanks to the level and quality of the concerts.”
This extraordinary music festival will be inaugurated in the Sala Argenta of the Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria on Thursday, July 8 at 8:30 p.m., with a symphonic concert dedicated to Beethoven and under the baton of artistic director Péter Csaba.
It will be throughout the month of July, until the 29th, when the 50 concerts programmed in the Argenta and Pereda Halls of the Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria, the Palacio de la Magdalena-Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo, as well as another 22 locations in the region, and the Cathedral of Burgos will take place.
Al claustro docente del Encuentro se incorporan por primera vez, Máté Szücs (cello), Miklós Perényi (oboe) and Dominik Wollenweber (clarinet) are incorporated into the teaching staff of the Encounter for the first time. The schedule of the professors in each of their disciplines is as follows:
According to artistic director Péter Csaba, “Organizing this edition has not been easy at all. Bringing 60 young international artists and professors, their travels, the almost two hundred rehearsals that the Encounter entails throughout the month, under the maximum respect for the sanitary regulations of each place that our young artists attend is a challenge but it will turn out great. During these twenty years there are hundreds of memories to highlight from the Encounter, we have had magnificent young artists whose careers have prospered, about 1,500 young people, 2,000 concerts, 2,500 pieces performed, extraordinary professors and musicians such as Pressler, Penderecki, Bashkirov, Eötvös, Berganza, Gutman…
We will live a great edition. Young artists need to express music, that brilliance, and do it publicly. They miss it. July 20 will be the day that the concert for the twentieth anniversary of the Encounter will be held in the Sala Argenta and there will be surprises, not being a concert in use.”
Paloma O’Shea also highlighted that in this edition “we will have the privilege of premiering a work by Sir Harrison Birtwistle composed for the occasion. We will also present a work, commissioned by us, by Francisco Coll, a Spanish composer who is having a brilliant international career, and the music of a wonderful Cantabrian composer, Juanjo Mier, will also be present.”
The Encounter concerts in other locations in the Community will take place in:
– Arnuero, Church of La Asunción
– Cabezón de la Sal, Casa de Cultura Conde San Diego
– Casar de Periedo (Cabezón de la Sal), Casa Museo Jesús de Monasterio
– Castro Urdiales, Church of Sta. Mª de La Asunción
– Cigüenza (Alfoz de Lloredo), Church of San Martín
– Comillas, Seminario Mayor
– Escalante, Chapel of the Monastery of San Juan de Monte Calvario
– Laredo, Church of Santa María
– Los Corrales de Buelna, Teatro Municipal
– Pedreña (Marina de Cudeyo), Parochial Church
– Potes, Church of San Vicente
– Quijano (Renedo de Piélagos), Casa de Cultura
– Reinosa, Teatro Principal
– Ruiloba, Church of La Asunción
– San Vicente de La Barquera, Auditorio David Bustamante
– Santa María de Cayón, Church of Ntra. Sra. de La Asunción
– Santillana del Mar, Museo de Altamira and Capilla Museo Diocesano
– Santoña, Teatro Liceo Casino
– Soto Iruz (Santiurde de Toranzo), Monasterio de Ntra. Sra. del Soto
– Torrelavega, Church of Ntra. Sra. de La Asunción
– Vega de Pas, Church of Ntra. Sra. de La Natividad
– Villapresente (Reocín), Casa de Cultura.
Admission to all concerts is free, except for those in the Sala Argenta of the Palacio de Festivales. Likewise, all events will be carried out following the regulations and prevention measures of Covid-19, which include the reduction of capacity, the maintenance of social distance and the obligation for all the public to wear a mask.
The sale of tickets for the Sala Argenta will be from Tuesday, June 29, with the possibility of acquiring tickets for the ten concerts as advance sale under a 50% reduction in zones A, B and C.
Sales Channels: Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria box offices (C/ Gamazo, s/n) from Tuesday to Saturday, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; by phone 942 243 439; email taquilla.palacio@srecd.es; www.palaciofestivales.com; entradas.liberbank.es, 902 106 601 (Liberbank telephone sales)
In the words of the President “extending my gratitude to all those who, together with the Government and the City Council, make the Encounter possible: the University of Cantabria and the Menéndez Pelayo, the city councils and cultural entities of the entire region, and the companies and individuals who join this effort every year”.
The Santander Music and Academy Encounter has the support of the main public institutions of Cantabria, as well as an important series of general sponsors: Government of Cantabria; Ministry of Universities, Equality, Culture and Sports; Santander City Council;
Ministry of Culture and Sports (INAEM); Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria; Sociedad Regional Educación, Cultura y Deporte S.L.; Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development; Community of Madrid; Madrid City Council; Municipal Tourist Office of Santander; Albéniz Foundation, International Chamber Music Institute of Madrid.
As concert sponsors: Café Dromedario; EDP; El Diario Montañés; Banco Santander Foundation; Botín Foundation; Comillas Foundation for Spanish Language and Culture; Tirso Group; Santos Hotels; Textil Santanderina S.A.; University of Cantabria; Menéndez Pelayo International University; Veolia.
And as other collaborators: Agua de Solares; Chamber of Commerce of Cantabria; Jesús de Monasterio Conservatory; Musical San Fernando; Bishopric of Santander; Ángeles Custodios Residence; Selective Motor; Volvo España; D. Juan Ignacio Cruz Gómez; Dª Ana Melgosa.
