Photos: Sergio Betancort
One more year and with this one there are already 24 faithful to the appointment with their audience, the members of the popular music group Acatife took the stage of the Santo Domingo convent in Teguise. At 9:00 p.m. the first musical chords of the newly created mixed musical group "Bohemia" began to sound. Group formed by 9 members directed by the young tenor from Lanzarote, Juanma Padrón. Bohemia pleasantly surprised the public with the harmony of their very combined voices and their musical accompaniment. They performed a select musical repertoire covered by some genres of South American music such as boleros, zambas, chacareras etc. intertwined with a song of Canarian root. In one of the moments of his performance, Juanma Padrón invited his great friend, who was among the audience, the young and international tenor from Lanzarote, Pancho Corujo, to take the stage and together they performed a Chacarera. Bohemia is a young group that is making a strong impact on the Lanzarote music scene and proof of this was the great reception that the public gave them with their applause.
Secondly, the members of a musical legend in their native island of La Palma and the Canary Islands took the stage, such as the musical group Los Viejos de La Palma. This year they are celebrating their "Golden Wedding", 50 years taking their music throughout the Canary Islands, the Peninsula and Latin American countries. They were born in the carnivals of 1966, becoming the pioneers in interpreting traditional Cuban music, doing so in a very peculiar and different way with their own stamp. Los Viejos de La Palma left a mark of how much they take care of each of their songs with voices that sound in unison as if it were just one. Their young director, Jesús Martín Fernández, gives everything in each of his performances to please the public and make them enjoy his music. His performance was bid farewell with the public standing with resounding applause.
The third place of the night was for the organizers, Acatife. El Escarabajo was his first presentation theme, followed by others of Canarian and Latin American style. His director, Ito Hernández, after several years absent, returned to take the reins of the direction, achieving the set objective. After having performed part of the chosen repertoire, the most emotional moment of the festival arrived when the "Silver Volcano" was presented, posthumously to Ico Arrocha. Without a doubt, the loudest and most prolonged applause was heard at that moment when Albano Arrocha Perera, son of Ico, took the stage. The president of Acatife, Juan Manuel Pérez Cabrera, presented him with the highest award given by Acatife to all those who contribute to maintaining Canarian culture. The widow of Ico Arrocha, present at the festival, received a bouquet of flowers from the young Ivan Díaz, member of the group. Before leaving the stage, Albano Arrocha addressed all those present, thanking them for the expressions of affection and support that the family is receiving and in a very special way to Acatife for this great gesture they have had towards his father.
Immediately afterwards and from among the public to the rhythm of a mazurka, the voice of the young Inma Sepulveda was heard with the musical accompaniment of Acatife who performed one of the songs that Ico Arrocha always carries in his repertoire every time he took the stage. A few minutes later, Acatife put the final touch to this XXIV Festival.