The International Music Festival of the Canary Islands (FIMC) presented this Friday at the headquarters of the Cabildo of Lanzarote its 41st edition with a total of eight concerts in Lanzarote and La Graciosa. Prominent performers such as the Vienna Boys' Choir, the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Nasmé & Michael Barenboim, Pablo Sainz-Villegas, Las Palmas Symphony Orchestra & Sarah Willis, Gran Canaria Wind Orchestra and Troveros de Asieta & Alfredo de la Fe will perform from January 10 to February 13, 2025.
During the presentation, the Minister of Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands, Migdalia Machín, stated that "the Festival reaffirms our commitment to bring culture and music of the highest quality to every corner of the archipelago, ensuring that all Canary Island citizens can enjoy artistic proposals of international level".
For his part, the Minister of Culture of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Jesús Machín Tavío, invited the entire population "of Lanzarote and La Graciosa to enjoy this exceptional program to witness first-rate artists and groups, an unmissable event for all lovers of music and culture".
The 41st edition of the International Music Festival of the Canary Islands consolidates Lanzarote as a cultural reference in the archipelago and offers this year, as a novelty to the Lanzarote public, the opportunity to purchase a pass for four of these concerts, as explained by the director of the Festival, Jorge Perdigón. "The new pass includes the concerts to be held at the Teatro el Salinero, Nasmé & Barenboim, GCWO, Troveros de Asieta and Vienna Boys' Choir. It has a single price of 60 euros, which means up to 20 percent less compared to buying individual tickets"· Passes are available on the Festival website (section 'Passes and tickets') and on the Eco Entradas website.
Full program
The Festival will kick off on January 10 with the performance of the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Martín Fröst, at the Auditorium of Jameos del Agua. The orchestra, recognized for its quality and innovation, will perform a program that includes the premiere of Toco tu boca..., a work commissioned to the composer Manuel Bonino for the FIMC. In addition, you can enjoy the Clarinet Concerto and Symphony No. 40 by W.A. Mozart.
Martin Fröst, winner of the Léonie Sonning Music Prize in 2014, is an artist recognized for challenging and reshaping classical music. His repertoire ranges from great works for clarinet to contemporary pieces written for him. Fröst is also Principal Conductor of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and Artist in Residence of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Symphony Orchestra of Castilla y León.
The next FIMC event on the island will be with Michael Barenboim, a renowned violinist belonging to an important musical saga, who will perform at the Teatro Víctor Fernández Gopar 'El Salinero' on January 16 together with the Ensemble Nasmé, a group of talented Palestinian musicians. The program will include works by Rossini, Dvorak, Roustom and the Clarinet Quintet in A Major K. 581 'Stadler', by Mozart. Barenboim, who has performed with orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, stands out for his versatility and passion for contemporary music.
On January 17, Sarah Willis, solo horn of the Berlin Philharmonic, will perform with the Las Palmas Symphony Orchestra in Jameos del Agua. The concert, entitled Mozart & Mambo, fuses classical music with Latin rhythms. Willis, acclaimed for her talent and charisma, has been awarded the Order of the British Empire for her work in promoting classical music. It is the same name as an album with which she reached the top of several classical music charts. Together with Willis and the orchestra, José Méndez (direction) and Jorge Aragón (piano), two members of the Sarahbanda ensemble, which is led by this exceptional North American performer.
The Festival in Lanzarote continues on January 25 with the Gran Canaria Wind Orchestra, under the direction of David Fiuza, at the Teatro El Salinero. They present a program dedicated to 20th century chamber music for winds. This ensemble, recognized for its innovation and versatility, will perform works by Kurka, Weill and Gorb. The GCWO stands out for its commitment to the dissemination of contemporary repertoire and the promotion of Canarian composers.
The acclaimed guitarist Pablo Sainz-Villegas, considered the successor of Andrés Segovia, will offer two concerts on January 30 and 31 at the Convento de Santo Domingo de Teguise, in Lanzarote, and at the Centro Cultural Inocencia Páez de La Graciosa, respectively. His program will include works by Villa-Lobos, Bach, Turina, Barrios-Mangoré and Albéniz. Sainz-Villegas has been the first solo guitarist to play at Carnegie Hall in New York, since Segovia did so in 1983, and the first to accompany the Chicago Symphony since 2001. He has also performed with the Berlin Philharmonic at the New Year's Concert.
The Palmero group Troveros de Asieta, winner of the Cubadisco International Award in 2012, will perform together with the renowned Cuban violinist Alfredo de la Fe, on February 8 in El Salinero. It is the union of two references: Troveros is considered one of the most important Cuban music groups in Europe, while De la Fe has collaborated with legends of Latin music such as Celia Cruz, Carlos Santana and Eddie Palmieri. The proposed program will conclude with a work of his own, which includes thirteen pieces by Cuban and Canarian authors.
The Festival in Lanzarote will conclude on February 13 with the concert of the Vienna Boys' Choir, under the direction of Oliver Stech, at the Teatro El Salinero, with a tribute to Johann Strauss II on the 200th anniversary of his birth. The choir, one of the oldest and most famous in the world, has a long tradition dating back to 1498. They have toured all over the world and have collaborated with leading conductors and organizations.