On Friday, February 24 at 8:00 p.m., the first of the five concerts of the "VII Arrecife Classical Concerts Cycle" began, organized by the Classical Orchestra of Lanzarote, sponsored by the Arrecife City Council and with the collaboration of the Cabildo of Lanzarote.
The cycle, which has the generic title "Music, Woman and Art", aims to highlight the role of women in the arts, especially in music, where they have experienced times of marginalization and oblivion.
The concert began with a welcome speech by the manager of the Classical Orchestra of Lanzarote, Roberto Fuentes Hernández, who was in charge of introducing the writer Inés Rojas de León, who vindicated the role of women in society and of which she makes special mention in her book "Without gender of doubt".
The international pianist Josu Okiñena was accompanied by one of the renowned violinists on the international scene from Canada, Alexandre Da Costa, who carried a Stradivarius of no more and no less than five million dollars, donated by a foundation for his concerts.
With works by Brahms, Ravel and composers such as Chacón and Ozaita, the concert ended with two works, one of them by Gagno, "Petit concerto pour Carignan et orchestre", and by Pablo Sarasate, the virtuoso "Zigeunerweisen".
For his part, Alexandre Da Costa, born in Montreal, has an extensive curriculum to his credit. He is one of the most awarded violinists in Canada and his performances have been present in all parts of the world with the best orchestras. He has conducted several orchestras and currently conducts the Longueuil Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded 25 CDs for Sony Classical, Warner Classical, Warner Classics, among others. As a teacher he teaches at universities around the world.
Josu Okiñena is an international pianist and music researcher, especially Basque music, who offers concerts around the world. He has recorded several CDs that include unpublished material by Basque composers. He has also accompanied the best soloists worldwide and carries out work in the dissemination of classical music and Basque composers. He dedicates a large part of his time to the training of young promises of classical music.
The next concert will be on March 3 and will be given by the Lanzarote violinist Pablo Araya accompanied by the pianist Melba Artiles. The introduction will be given by Nieves Rosa Hernández, who has dedicated a large part of her life to the Mararía Association, a symbol in the Canary Islands of the defense of women.
