Hispanic Music Series

Discover Spanish Zarzuela
2025-02-15 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall, Woodhouse, Leeds, WoodLS2 3AR, United Kingdom
In this overview of the unique lyric-dramatic genre, rising star mezzo-soprano Julia Merino and acclaimed pianist Ricardo Gosalbo embark on a musical journey to sunlit Spain to explore Zarzuela’s vast riches. In collaboration with Instituto Cervantes Leeds, this recital will feature Zarzuela highlights by masters of the genre such as Rupert Chapí, Gerónimo Giménez, Pablo Luna, and José Serrano.
José Serrano – Canción de la gitana, from La alegría del batallón
Ruperto Chapí – Romanza de Socorro, from El barquillero
Vicente Lleó – Cuplés babilónicos, from La corte de faraón
José Serrano – Canción de Rosina, from La canción del olvido
Pablo Luna – Canción española, from El niño judío
Ruperto Chapí – Canción de Pastora, from La patria chica
Gerónimo Giménez – Sierras de Granada, from La tempranica
José Serrano – Palomica aragonesa, from Los de Aragón
Ruperto Chapí – Carceleras, from Las hijas del Zebedeo
Julia Merino began her piano and singing studies in her hometown, Málaga (Spain). Awarded with the “Elizabeth Sweeting” scholarship, she is currently finishing the opera course programme at Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London) with professors Janice Chapman and Marcus van den Akker.
As a soloist, she has worked with various national and international orchestras. Some of her notable performances in Spain include oratorios with the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra and the University of Jaén Orchestra, as well as participations with the Málaga Symphony Orchestra in projects such as Amor Brujo (Falla) or the Metalírica Festival at the Echegaray Theatre (Málaga). She also participated in the “Encuentro de Música y Academia de Santader” during the summer of 2024.
Julia made her operatic debut with Northen Opera Group (Leeds) in the production of the opera Frida in the summer of 2023. Upcoming operatic projects include the debut of the role of Fanny Price in Mansfield Park (Jonathan Dove), as well as the debut of the role of Dido in Dido and Aeneas (Purcell), both productions taking place in London. Upcoming projects include a piano and singing recital at the Sociedad Económica de El País (Jaén, Spain) and mezzo soloist debut in Mendelssohn’s Elijah next March 2025.
Ricardo Gosalbo is a Spanish-French collaborative pianist, musical director and researcher. He works as a vocal coach at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and City Lit where he also teaches piano and harmony. A devoted champion of Spanish and Hispano-American music, Ricardo combines his duties as director of the Hispanic Music Series with his research on Spanish vocal music.
Ricardo works regularly with singers and has appeared at venues such as the Barbican, Wigmore Hall, the Purcell Room, St Martin-in-the-Fields and Kings Place in London, the Chapelle Royale in Brussels, the Salle Cortot in Paris, the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the Kulturpalast in Dresden and the Filharmonia Narodowa in Warsaw. He has also been featured on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune programme and several Spanish national broadcasters.
A multifaceted music collaborator, Ricardo is a founding member of the Deco Ensemble, praised as ‘one of the UK’s foremost tango ensembles’, with whom he has released two albums. He has also worked extensively with contemporary dancers and choreographers, having performed with the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch and the Polish Dance Theatre.
Ricardo trained at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and at Guildhall School of Music & Drama. His mentors have included Eugene Asti, Iain Burnside, Graham Johnson, Martin Katz, Malcolm Martineau, Peter Schreier and Roger Vignoles. He has won several prizes, including the ‘Prix de Lied’ at the Concours International de chant-piano Nadia et Lili Boulanger, the Oxford Lieder Young Artist Platform and the Paul Hamburger Prize for voice and piano duo.

Songs at Six: French and Spanish Operetta
2024-11-07 18:00 - 19:00 UTC | Milton Court Concert Hall – Guildhall School of Music & Drama, 1 Milton Street, London, EC2Y 9BH, United Kingdom
Romance, glittering ballgowns, dizzying waltzes, and abundant quantities of champagne feature in this semi-staged performance of operetta highlights from France and its Pyrenean neighbour, Spain.
Led by Charlie Morgan and Ricardo Gosalbo, Guildhall School singers and pianists surrender to the irresistible melodies of Jacques Offenbach, Charles Lecocq, André Messager, Manuel Fernándex Caballero, and Pablo Sorozábal.

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer In Song
2024-06-28 18:00 - 19:15 UTC | Peacock Room, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, King Charles Court, Old Royal Naval College, London, SE10 9JF, United Kingdom
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (1836–1870) is widely considered the quintessential Spanish Romantic author. His poetry was crucial in the establishment of the Spanish Lied, and its impact on Spanish music has been far-reaching. Song settings of Bécquer’s ‘Rimas’ span over a century and feature breath-taking variety, offering unique insights into the evolution of Spanish art song.
Jennifer Hamilton and Ricardo Gosalbo direct Trinity Laban singers and pianists in this performance with a programme of songs by celebrated composers such as Manuel de Falla, Joaquín Turina and Federico Mompou, as well as lesser-known gems by Enrique Fernández Arbós and José María Guervós.
With the kind support of the Instituto Cervantes London.
Peacock Room, King Charles Court
Tickets: Free, booking required

An Introduction to Zarzuela: a Selection of Highlights of the Spanish Lyric-Dramatic Genre
2024-06-01 00:00 UTC | The Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3WS, United Kingdom
The Instituto Cervantes Manchester, in collaboration with The Iberian and Latin American Music Society, is pleased to present a concert dedicated to Zarzuela, a unique lyrical genre with its roots in 17th Century Spain.
On this occasion, we will enjoy ‘An Introduction to Zarzuela: a Selection of Highlights of the Spanish Lyric-Dramatic Genre’, performed by the acclaimed Spanish-French pianist Ricardo Gosalbo and the award-winning Colombian soprano Julieth Lozano.
Presented in partnership with Instituto Cervantes Manchester
Live at Lunchtime is a series of free concerts, taking place on various Fridays throughout May to September. Doors open at 12.30pm, with each 45-minute performance starting promptly at 12.45pm, providing the perfect opportunity to enjoy some musical entertainment during the space of your lunch break!

An introduction to Zarzuela
2024-02-02 13:05 - 13:55 UTC | Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall, Woodhouse, Leeds, WoodLS2 3AR, United Kingdom
An introduction to Zarzuela: a selection of highlights of the Spanish lyric-dramatic genre.
In collaboration with Instituto Cervantes Leeds.
Doors: open from 12:30pm
Julieth Lozano & Ricardo Gosalbo
Colombian soprano, Julieth Lozano was the winner of the Dame Kiri Te Kanawa audience prize in the 2023 Cardiff Singer of the World. She graduated with a Masters in Vocal Performance and an Artist Diploma in Opera from the Royal College of Music, under the tutelage of Dinah Harris. An Irene Hanson and Independent Opera at Sadler’s Wells scholar, Julieth was a 2019/20 Young Artist at the National Opera Studio in London.
Previous engagements include Vixen (The Cunning Little Vixen) for Longborough Festival Opera, Zerlina (Don Giovanni) at the Verbier Festival, Tytania (Midsummer Night’s Dream) for Opera al Parque, Colombia, Despina (Cosi Fan Tutte) at the International Music Festival at Cartagena, Colombia, Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) at RCM and Norina (Don Pasquale) for Random Opera.
​A 2020 Kathleen Ferrier competition finalist, and 2018 recipient of the President’s award given by The Prince of Wales, Julieth appeared in the BBC documentary Queen Victoria: My Musical Britain recorded in 2019 at Buckingham and Kensington palaces. In 2016 she participated in Georg Solti’s Academy and Verbier Festival’s Project Opera, where she was awarded the Prix Thierry Mermod. She has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, V&A Museum and many other venues around the globe.
Ricardo Gosalbo is a Spanish-French collaborative pianist, musical director, educator and researcher. He works as vocal coach at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he teaches Hispanic music. A devoted champion of this music, Ricardo combines his duties as artistic director of the Hispanic Music Series in London with his doctoral research on Spanish vocal music.
Ricardo has performed extensively with classical singers throughout Europe, and he has been featured by British and Spanish broadcasters. He has won numerous prizes, including the ‘Prix de Lied’ at the Concours International de chant-piano Nadia et Lili Boulanger, the Oxford Lieder Young Artist and the Paul Hamburger Prize. A multifaceted music collaborator, he has also worked with contemporary dancers and choreographers such as the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, and is a founding member of the Deco Ensemble, praised as ‘one of the UK’s foremost tango ensembles’, with whom he has released two albums. www.ricardogosalbo.com

Songs at Six: Federico García Lorca
2023-11-17 18:00 - 19:00 UTC | Milton Court Concert Hall – Guildhall School of Music & Drama, 1 Milton Street, London, EC2Y 9BH, United Kingdom
Ricardo Gosalbo curates a concert of song performances celebrating Spanish poet, playwright and theatre director Federico García Lorca in what would be his 125th year.
Free, no tickets required

Zarzuela Gala
2022-11-08 18:00 - 19:00 UTC | Milton Court Concert Hall – Guildhall School of Music & Drama, 1 Milton Street, London, EC2Y 9BH, United Kingdom
Guildhall School singers embark on a musical journey to sunlit Spain to explore Zarzuela’s vast riches. Under the direction of Ricardo Gosalbo, this semi-staged performance features highlights of the lyric-dramatic genre by masters such as Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, Jacinto Guerro and Pablo Sorozábal.

Black, el payaso
2022-09-20 19:30 - 2022-09-24 21:30 UTC | Cervantes Theatre, 229 Union Street, London, SE1 0LR, United Kingdom
BLACK THE CLOWN
BLACK EL PAYASO
by Pablo Sorozábal
Libretto by Francisco Serrano Anguita
Libretto adapted by Ignacio García
Directed by Paula Paz
Music Direction by Ricardo Gosalbo
20-24 SEP Cervantes Theatre
This Cervantes Theatre production will be at the Arcola Theatre as part of the Grimeborn Festival 2nd – 6th August 2022 and at the Cervantes Theatre 20th – 24th September.
Esta producción del Cervantes Theatre se representará en el Arcola Theatre como parte del Grimeborn Festival del 2 al 6 de agosto y en el Cervantes Theatre del 20 al 24 de septiembre.
Exiled from a country immersed in civil war, two clowns find themselves in the heart of the Parisian underworld at a time of revolution.
Black, el Payaso / Black, the Clown is one of Pablo Sorozábal‘s most ambitious and wide-ranging work. An ingenious allegory of art and nationalist politics, its sharp and political edge that remains relevant today. The libretto is based on the French novel La princesse aux clowns by Jean-José Frappa.
This Spanish operetta / zarzuela first premiered in Spain in 1942. This Cervantes Theatre production directed by Paula Paz marks its UK premiere.
Dos payasos en el exilio procedentes de un país inmerso en una guerra civil se hallan en el corazón de los bajos fondos parisinos en tiempos de revolución.
Black, el Payaso es uno de los trabajos más ambiciosos y de más amplio alcance de Pablo Sorozábal. Es una alegoría ingeniosa del arte y de la política nacionalista, de una agudeza política que sigue estando vigente hoy en día. El libreto se inspira en la novela francesa La princesse aux clowns de Jean-José Frappa.
Esta opereta / zarzuela se estrenó en España en 1942 y ahora se estrena en el Reino Unido con esta novedosa producción del Cervantes Theatre dirigida por Paula Paz.
REVIEWS
LondonTheatre1 bit.ly/3JAOx5h
The Stage bit.ly/3zmq8Mg
Broadway World bit.ly/3zzc1mR
Planet Hugill bit.ly/3vHHcva
The Reviews Hub bit.ly/3BJsbgm
Latino Life bit.ly/3daCy2p
El Mundo bit.ly/3cJ3EOa
Who is Sorozabal?
Pablo Sorozábal (18 September 1897 – 26 December 1988) was a Spanish composer of zarzuelas, operas, symphonic works. This year is the 125th anniversary of Sorozabal’s birth. He was born in San Sebastián, in a working-class family.
Sorozábal’s liberal sympathies left him somewhat isolated after the Spanish Civil War, and many of his later zarzuelas were first seen outside the capital or in less prestigious Madrid theatres.
Sorozábal’s theatrical vitality, musical wit and dramatic force are second to none in the history of zarzuela.
¿Quién es Sorozábal?
Pablo Sorozábal (18 de septiembre de 1897 – 26 de diciembre de 1988) fue un compositor español de zarzuelas, óperas y obras sinfónicas. Este año se cumplen 125 años del nacimiento de Sorozabal. Nació en San Sebastián, en el seno de una familia de clase trabajadora.
Las simpatías liberales de Sorozábal lo dejaron algo aislado después de la Guerra Civil española, y muchas de sus zarzuelas posteriores se vieron por primera vez fuera de la capital o en teatros menos prestigiosos de Madrid.
La vitalidad teatral, el ingenio musical y la fuerza dramática de Sorozábal son insuperables en la historia de la zarzuela.
TEAM
Sofía Raphaela Papadakis
Catalina Juliet Wallace
Black Michael Lafferty-Smith
White Giuseppe Pellingra
Marat / Dupont David Powton
Child Simon Bundock
Piano Ricardo Gosalbo
Violin Elena Jáuregui
CREATIVE TEAM
Director Paula Paz
Music Director and music adaptation
Ricardo Gosalbo
Set and costume designer Caitlin Abbott
Lighting Designer Lucía Sanchez
Makeup Artist Guy Common
Assistant Director Monica Cox
Libretto’s adaptation Ignacio García
Translation Simon Breden
CERVANTES THEATRE TEAM
Artistic Director Jorge de Juan
Artistic Director Paula Paz
House Manager Puerto Baker
Production Manager Diego Gutiérrez
Graphic Design Josele Mesa

Black, el payaso
2022-08-02 19:30 - 2022-08-06 21:30 UTC | Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, London, E8 3DL, United Kingdom
BLACK THE CLOWN
BLACK EL PAYASO
by Pablo Sorozábal
Libretto by Francisco Serrano Anguita
Libretto adapted by Ignacio García
Directed by Paula Paz
Music Direction by Ricardo Gosalbo
2-6 AUG Arcola Theatre
20-24 SEP Cervantes Theatre
This Cervantes Theatre production will be at the Arcola Theatre as part of the Grimeborn Festival 2nd – 6th August 2022 and at the Cervantes Theatre 20th – 24th September.
Esta producción del Cervantes Theatre se representará en el Arcola Theatre como parte del Grimeborn Festival del 2 al 6 de agosto y en el Cervantes Theatre del 20 al 24 de septiembre.
Exiled from a country immersed in civil war, two clowns find themselves in the heart of the Parisian underworld at a time of revolution.
Black, el Payaso / Black, the Clown is one of Pablo Sorozábal‘s most ambitious and wide-ranging work. An ingenious allegory of art and nationalist politics, its sharp and political edge that remains relevant today. The libretto is based on the French novel La princesse aux clowns by Jean-José Frappa.
This Spanish operetta / zarzuela first premiered in Spain in 1942. This Cervantes Theatre production directed by Paula Paz marks its UK premiere.
Dos payasos en el exilio procedentes de un país inmerso en una guerra civil se hallan en el corazón de los bajos fondos parisinos en tiempos de revolución.
Black, el Payaso es uno de los trabajos más ambiciosos y de más amplio alcance de Pablo Sorozábal. Es una alegoría ingeniosa del arte y de la política nacionalista, de una agudeza política que sigue estando vigente hoy en día. El libreto se inspira en la novela francesa La princesse aux clowns de Jean-José Frappa.
Esta opereta / zarzuela se estrenó en España en 1942 y ahora se estrena en el Reino Unido con esta novedosa producción del Cervantes Theatre dirigida por Paula Paz.
TEAM
Sofía Raphaela Papadakis
Catalina Juliet Wallace
Black Michael Lafferty-Smith
White Giuseppe Pellingra
Marat / Dupont David Powton
Child Simon Bundock
Piano Ricardo Gosalbo
Violin Elena Jáuregui
CREATIVE TEAM
Director Paula Paz
Music Director and music adaptation
Ricardo Gosalbo
Lighting Designer Lucía Sanchez
Set and costume designer Caitlin Abbott
Assistant Director Monica Cox
Libretto’s adaptation Ignacio García
Translation Simon Breden
CERVANTES THEATRE TEAM
Artistic Director Jorge de Juan
Artistic Director Paula Paz
House Manager Puerto Baker
Production Manager Diego Gutiérrez
Graphic Design Josele Mesa

Highlights of Hispanic Art Song
2021-11-29 18:00 - 19:00 UTC | Silk Street Music Hall – Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Silk Street, Barbican, London, EC2Y 8DT, United Kingdom
Under the direction of Ricardo Gosalbo, Guildhall School singers and pianists embark on a musical journey through various Spanish-speaking countries to explore Hispanic Art Song’s vast riches.
PERFORMERS:
Alexander Arenare (piano), Callum Champion (piano), Dena Goodman (soprano), Jacob Harrison (baritone), Thomas Jesty (piano), Shana Moron-Caravel (mezzosoprano), Emelia Noack-Wilkinson (piano), Eiry Price (soprano), Kang Yang (baritone), Miku Yasukawa (soprano)
PROGRAMME:
Rodolfo Halffter/Rafael Alberti: ‘Qué altos los balcones’, from ‘Marinero en tierra’ (Spain/Mexico)
Rodolfo Halffter/Rafael Alberti: ‘Verano’, from ‘Marinero en tierra’ (Spain/Mexico)
Rodolfo Halffter/Rafael Alberti: ‘Gimiendo por ver el mar’, from ‘Marinero en tierra’ (Spain/Mexico)
Xavier Montsalvatge i Bassols/Rafael Alberti: ‘Cuba dentro de un piano’, from ‘Cinco canciones negras’ (Spain)
Blas Galindo/Alfonso del Río: ‘Arrullo’ (Mexico)
Carlos Guastavino/Francisco Silva y Valdés: ‘La rosa y el sauce’ (Argentina)
Yvette Souviron: ‘Al banco solitario’ (Argentina)
Carlos Guastavino/Hamlet Lima Quintana: ‘Pampamapa’, from ‘Doce canciones populares’ (Argentina)
Jaime León Ferro/Julio Flórez Roa: ‘Cuando lejos, muy lejos’ (Colombia)
Enrique Granados/Fernando Periquet: ‘La maja dolorosa No. 2’ (¡Ay majo de mi vida!), from ‘Doce tonadillas en estilo antiguo’ (Spain)
Enrique Granados/Fernando Periquet: ‘El majo tímido’, from ‘Doce tonadillas en estilo antiguo’ (Spain)
Jaime León Ferro/José Asunción Silva: ‘A tí’ (Colombia)
Carlos Guastavino/Arturo Vázquez Cey: ‘Bonita rama de sauce’, from ‘Doce canciones populares’ (Argentina)
Eduardo Sánchez de Fuentes: ‘Deseo’ (Cuba)
Enrique Granados/Anonymous: ‘Mira que soy niña’, from ‘Canciones amatorias’ (Spain)
Fernando Obradors/Anonymous: ‘Del cabello más sutil’, from ‘Canciones clásicas españolas’ (Spain)
Manuel Ponce: ‘Estrellita‘ (Mexico)
Carlos Guastavino: ‘Pueblito, mi pueblo’ (Argentina)
In collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes London.

Zarzuela Gala
2021-06-08 18:00 - 2021-06-15 18:00 UTC | Online broadcast
Guildhall singers embark on a musical journey to sunlit Spain to explore Zarzuela’s vast riches. Under the direction of movement director Charlie Morgan and pianist Ricardo Gosalbo, this performance features highlights by masters of the genre such as Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, Tomás Bretón and Ruperto Chapí.

Click the following link to watch this free online broadcast on the days and times indicated above:
https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/summer_2021/songs_at_six/

Bécquer 150
2021-04-08 18:00 - 2021-04-30 18:00 UTC | Online broadcast
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (1836–1870) is widely considered the quintessential Spanish Romantic author. His poetry was crucial in the establishment of the Spanish Lied, and its impact on Spanish music has been far-reaching. The Becquerian song settings span over a century and feature breath-taking variety, offering unique insights into the evolution of Spanish art song.
Ricardo Gosalbo directs this concert marking Bécquer’s recent 150th anniversary with a programme of songs – including many UK premieres – by celebrated composers such as Manuel de Falla, Joaquín Turina and Federico Mompou, as well as lesser-known gems by José Espí Ulrich, Enrique Fernández Arbós and José María Guervós.
Click here to watch this free online broadcast on the day and time indicated:
https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/spring_2021/songs_at_six/
Download the programme

Podcast: Spanish songs in exile
2020-07-20 - 2020-08-20 | Online broadcast
Link to podcast:https://www.hispanicmusic.co.uk/spanish-songs-in-exile/

Songs from Argentina
2020-07-06 | Online broadcast
** IMPORTANT: due to COVID-19, this event has been moved online. **
Guildhall School singers and pianists perform a selection of songs by Argentinian composers, featuring in particular Carlos Guastavino to mark the 20 years since his death.

Chilean Piano Music Recital
2020-02-17 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | St Davids Room – King’s College London, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS, United Kingdom
Award-winning Chilean pianist Danor Quinteros is coming to London for a spectacular recital with classical music by Chilean composers from different historical periods, including an impressionist gem by Enrique Soro.
Chilean pianist Danor Quinteros has received critical acclaim and numerous national and international awards. Praised for his artistic subtlety and skill, he has appeared in multiple Halls and venues such as Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Tonhalle Zürich, Klavierfestival-Ruhr, Banff Centre and the Romanian Atheneum. Recently, Danor rendered a memorable performance of Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra during the final of the Enescu Competition 2016 in Bucharest and was awarded the 3rd Prize.
This concert has been brought to London thanks to the support of King’s College London and the International Society for Chilean Music.
See Danor in action here:
Danor plays Chopin
Quinteros has also been a prizewinner in many other piano competitions around the world including the Ile de France Piano Competition, Santa Cecilia Piano Competition in Porto, Académie de Musique Lausanne, Dr Luis Sigall Competition, Claudio Arrau International Competition, etc. Similarly, as the winner of the “Premio Assoluto” in the Pietro Argento International Competition, he has been invited to be a member of the jury for next year’s edition.
Born in Santiago, Danor studied at Universidad Católica de Chile with pianist María Iris Radrigán. Later he continued his studies with Jacob Leuschner at the Hochschule für Musik Köln and with Pavel Gililov at the Mozarteum in Austria, graduating with highest distinctions from both Universities. Further studies and collaborations with renowned pianists and professors such as Jacques Rouvier, Julian Martin, Robert McDonald, Matti Raekallio and Pierre-Laurent Aimard, among others, helped him to shape his style and provided him with new perspectives on music as well as valuable ideas that served him as a source of inspiration for his distinctive artistic personality.
His vast repertoire ranges from D. Scarlatti and M. Clementi to G. Ligeti and U. Chin. Additionally, he is passionate about undeservedly under-performed composers such as Enescu, Medtner, Bowen and Soro. Music by these composers often appear on his recitals and can be heard in his recordings.
Last year, Danor Quinteros released an EP with works by Bartók, Medtner and Ligeti for Leaf Music™ in Canada.

Spanish songs in exile
2019-11-27 18:30 - 20:00 UTC | Shaw Library – London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE
Hispanic Music Series, Spanish in Motion-Project at LSE, and Cervantes Institute London present
‘Spanish songs in exile’
a lecture-recital in Spanish.
Description:
Marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Spanish civil war, this lecture-recital will offer insights into Spanish song-making in exile. The programme will feature songs by composers such as Manuel de Falla, Julián Bautista, Josep Valls and Rodolfo Halffter.
Art song developed comparatively late in Spain, and it was not until the 1910s that Manuel de Falla and Enrique Granados established the first significant milestones in the genre. Their song cycles and sets became a reference for the next generation of composers who started their careers in the 1920s and 1930s, always under the concern of how to combine modernity with national identity. Many of these composers then exiled during the Spanish Civil War and the beginning of Franco’s dictatorship, and this experience also influenced how they engaged with art song. This lecture-recital will introduce some of the most significant art songs – some of them practically unknown today – by this exiled generation, and it will also celebrate the performers, such as Conxita Badia and Mercé Plantada, who strived to make these songs heard in Spain and beyond.
Lecturers/performers:
Dr. Eva Moreda (University of Glasgow)
Eva Moreda Rodriguez is a Senior Lecturer in Musicology at the University of Glasgow. She is the author of the books Music and exile in Francoist Spain (Ashgate, 2015) and Music criticism and music critics in Francoist Spain (Oxford University Press, 2016), as well as numerous articles and book chapters on the cultural and political history of Spanish music from the late nineteenth century to the late Franco regime. Her current project on the early reception and dissemination of recording technologies in Spain (1877-1905) received a Leadership Fellowship form the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Laura Ruhí Vidal
Catalan Soprano Laura Ruhí Vidal (Girona, 1990) graduated from the Opera Course at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where she also studied the BMus (Hons) and was awarded an Artist Fellowship. With a wide range of experience in the UK in venues such as the Cadogan Hall (performances with musician and comedian Rainer Hersch), The Barbican, St Martin in the Fields, Purcell Room, Kings Place, The Sage Gateshead and festivals such as Aldeburgh Festival, Spanish Song and Zarzuela Festival, amongst others, Laura is an accomplished performer. In opera, Laura has performed across the UK with companies West Green House Opera, MidWales Opera, Longborough Opera Festival, Opera Project, Pop-Up Company, Tête à tête Festival, etc. Furthermore, Laura has performed with the “Maria Camahort Quintet”, a chamber ensemble performing traditionally rooted Spanish classical music, and recorded two CD albums: Iberian Colours (Convivium Records) and Danzas, Canciones y Nanas (Guitar Records).
Ricardo Gosalbo (Guildhall School of Music & Drama)
Ricardo Gosalbo is a Spanish-French collaborative pianist. He has held fellowships at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he currently works as a Spanish music tutor. A devoted champion of Spanish and Hispano-American music, Ricardo combines his duties as artistic coordinator of the Hispanic Music Series in London with his doctoral research on Spanish Art Song. He has performed extensively with classical singers throughout Europe and has won numerous prizes for it including the ‘Prix de Lied’ at the Concours International de chant-piano Nadia et Lili Boulanger, the Oxford Lieder Young Artist and the Paul Hamburger Prize.
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Hispanic Music Series, Spanish in Motion-Project at LSE, y el Instituto Cevantes Londres presentan
“La canción lírica española del exilio”
una conferencia-recital en castellano.
Resumen:
En conmemoración del 80 aniversario del fin de la Guerra Civil española, esta conferencia-recital tratará la obra cancionística de compositores españoles exiliados como Manuel de Falla, Julián Bautista, Josep Valls y Rodolfo Halffter.
La canción de concierto tuvo un desarrollo relativamente tardío en España, y no es hasta los años 10 del siglo XX que Manuel de Falla y Enrique Granados establecen los primeros hitos significativos en el género. Sus ciclos y colecciones de canciones se convierten en un punto de referencia obligado para la siguiente generación de compositores que comienzan sus carreras en los años 20 y 30, marcados por la gran cuestión de cómo combinar modernidad con identidad nacional. Varios de estos compositores se exilian posteriormente durante la Guerra Civil y a comienzos de la dictadura franquista, y esta experiencia influye también en su tratamiento del género. Esta charla presenta algunas canciones más destacadas – algunas de ellas prácticamente desconocidas – de esta generación exiliada, además de celebrar a las intérpretes, como Conxita Badia y Mercé Plantada, que trabajaban por dar a conocer estas obras en España y fuera de ella.
Ponente e intérpretes:
Dra. Eva Moreda (Universidad de Glasgow)
Eva Moreda Rodríguez es Senior Lecturer en Musicología en la Universidad de Glasgow. Es autora de los libros Music and exile in Francoist Spain (Ashgate, 2015) y Music criticism and music critics in Francoist Spain (Oxford University Press, 2016), así como de numerosos artículos y capítulos sobre la historia cultural y política de la música española de finales del XIX a finales del régimen de Franco. Su actual proyecto sobre los comienzos de la historia de las tecnologías de grabación en España recibió una subvención “Leadership Fellowship” del Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Laura Ruhí Vidal
Ricardo Gosalbo (Guildhall School of Music & Drama)
Ricardo Gosalbo es un pianista hispano-francés. Defensor devoto de la música española e hispanoamericana en el extranjero, Ricardo compagina su labor como profesor de música hispana en el prestigioso Guildhall School of Music and Drama con la coordinación artística del Hispanic Music Series de Londres, así como con su trabajo de investigación en el ámbito de la canción lírica española. Ha actuado con cantantes por toda Europa y ha sido galardonado numerosas veces por ello, entre otros con el “Premio de Lied” del Concurso Internacional de canto y piano Nadia y Lili Boulanger, y con el Oxford Lieder Young Artist.
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Programme/programa:
Josep Valls – Chant populaires catalans:
– Tres tambors
– L’enyor
Enrique Casal Chapí – Villancico (de Lope de Vega)
Gustavo Durán – Si me fuera, amante mía (de “La amante” de Rafael Alberti)
Salvador Bacarisse – Nana del niño muerto (de “Tres nanas de Rafael Alberti” Op. 20)
Ernesto Halffter – La corza blanca (de “Dos canciones de Rafael Alberti”)
Manuel de Falla – Siete canciones populares españolas:
– El paño moruno
– Seguidilla murciana
– Asturiana
– Jota
– Nana
– Canción
– Polo

Zarzuela Gala
2019-11-13 18:00 - 19:30 UTC | Silk Street Music Hall – Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Silk Street, Barbican, London, EC2Y 8DT, United Kingdom
A musical gala featuring a selection of popular highlights of Spanish Zarzuela. Guildhall School singers will perform solos, duets and ensembles, in this show directed by Ricardo Gosalbo and Charlie Morgan and sponsored by the British Spanish Society.
Performers: Kamil Bien (tenor), Cicely He (soprano), Simone Ibbett-Brown (mezzo), Astrid Joos (soprano), Carla Satrústegui Reclusa (soprano), Joël Alexandre Terrin (baritone), Valerie Wong (soprano) and Marina Staneva (pianist).

The beginnings of recorded music in Spain
2019-06-21 19:00 - 20:30 (Europe/London) | Milton Court Rehearsal Room 1 – Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Milton Court, 1 Milton Street, London, EC2Y 9BH, United Kingdom
The beginnings of recorded music in Spain
This lecture-recital will cover, through both historical recordings and live performance, the beginnings (1896-1914) of commercial recorded music in Spain, both in the hands of multinationals such as Gramophone and Victor, and small-scale local businesses (the so-called ‘gabinetes fonográficos’) which recorded on wax cylinders. Particular attention will be paid to the first Spanish opera and zarzuela singers to record for the phonograph and gramophone; their names are scarcely known nowadays (Josefina Huguet, Pepita Alcácer, Marina Gurina, Anita Lopeteghi, Amalia Campos, etc.), but their voices open up a fascinating window on the singing techniques and repertoires that Spaniards were familiar with around 1900.
Los inicios de la fonografía en España
Esta conferencia-concierto explorará, a través de grabaciones históricas y música en directo, los inicios (1896-1914) de la fonografía comercial en España, tanto a manos de multinacionales como Gramophone y Victor como de pequeños negocios locales conocidos como “gabinetes fonográficos” que grababan en cilindros de cera. La conferencia prestará especial atención a las primeras cantantes españolas de ópera y zarzuela en realizar grabaciones fonográficas y gramofónicas, cuyos nombres son hoy poco conocidos (Josefina Huguet, Pepita Alcácer, Marina Gurina, Anita Lopeteghi, Amalia Campos, etc.), pero cuyas voces nos abren una fascinante ventana sobre las técnicas de canto y los repertorios que se escuchaban en España en torno a 1900.
Lecturer: Prof. Eva Moreda (University of Glasgow)
Event free to attend but booking is required at:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-beginnings-of-recorded-music-in-spain-registration-59585690404
More information:
https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/about_the_school/view_all_events/?tx_julleevents_pi1%5BshowUid%5D=6113

Songs at Six: tribute to Joaquín Rodrigo
2019-05-28 18:00 - 19:00 UTC | Lecture Recital Room – Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Silk Street, Barbican, London, EC2Y 8DT, United Kingdom
Guildhall School postgraduate singers and pianists perform songs by the Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo as a tribute on the 20th anniversary of his passing. Concert curated by Ricardo Gosalbo and supported by the Instituto Cervantes London.
Performed by Riho Akagi (piano), Holly Brown (soprano), Ellie Dann (mezzo), Achinoam Keisar (piano), Rachael Liddell (mezzo), Feilin Liu (piano), Luke Scott (baritone) & Valerie Wong (soprano).
More information:
https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/music/view_all_events/event_single_view/?tx_julleevents_pi1%5BshowUid%5D=6092
Free entrance. Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tu-voz-y-tu-mano-the-art-and-music-of-sorolla-and-rodrigo-tickets-61149769607

(Dis)embodied singers in Cervantes
2019-05-09 14:45 - 15:30 UTC | Milton Court Seminar Room – Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 9BH, United Kingdom
Given that printed texts don’t come with sound effects, it’s not obvious why characters in novels are made to speak, let alone sing; and when they do, what are we supposed to hear? Cervantes was clearly fascinated by the challenge of ‘writing singing’ and returned to the problem time and again. In the majority of cases he wrote singing as a performance in real time, with the (often lengthy) lyrics pasted into the main text of the novel. But this paper will discuss a number of alternative approaches drawn from Don Quijote (1605, 1615), the Novelas ejemplares (1613) and Persiles y Sigismunda (1616). In all of Cervantes’s major works we find singers who are de-voiced, disembodied or disempowered: a shipwrecked Portuguese lover, a nun with a beautiful voice, a muleteer with ‘the best voice you’ll ever hear’, and Feliciana de la Voz, a woman who is her voice—until she loses it.
Lecturer: Barry Ife, Guildhall School of Music & Drama

¡Ay, amor!
2019-02-16 19:00 - 20:30 UTC | Cervantes Theatre, 229 Union Street, London, SE1 0LR, United Kingdom
Hispanic Music Series, in collaboration with Instituto Cervantes London, presents Marta López Fernández (harpsichord) and Jorge Navarro Colorado (tenor) in a recital of XVIIth century Spanish solo keyboard music and Tonos Humanos for voice and keyboard, featuring composers such as Juan Hidalgo, Antonio de Cabezón, Sebastián Durón and José Marín. This event will be curated by our special guest of honour and expert in the field professor Sir Barry Ife.
Hispanic Music Series en colaboración con el Instituto Cervantes de Londres presentan un recital de tonos humanos y música española del siglo XVII para voz y clave, compuesta por Juan Hidalgo, Antonio de Cabezón, Sebastián Durón y José Marín, entre otros. El programa será interpretado por Marta López Fernández (clave) y Jorge Navarro Colorado (tenor), y contará con Sir Barry Ife como invitado de honor y experto en la materia.

Programme:
Ay que si, ay que no, Juan Hidalgo
En los floridos páramos, Juan Hidalgo
Para qué, son esas flores, Joseph de Torres
Diferencias sobre el Canto del Caballero, Antonio de Cabezón
Ay silencio apacible, Carlos de Borja
Dígalo yo que en las alas, Sebastián Durón
Baile del herbolario, Juan Serqueyra de Lima
Romerico florido, Capitan
Vuelve barquilla, Anónimo
Doulce mémoire, Hernando de Cabezón
Ya los caballos, Cristóbal Galán
Ay triste del que a sus rayos, Juan Hidalgo
De la sierra morena, José Marín
Ya desengaño mío, José Marín
Interval
Tiento sobre la Letanía de la Virgen, Pablo Bruna
Molinillo, Juan del Vado
Sepan Todos, José Marín
Abril floreciente, Sebastián Durón
Pajarillo si lloras ausente, Anónimo
Recercata y Sonata en Re Mayor, Sebastián de Albero
Ay amor, Juan Hidalgo
Avecilla, si picas, Joseph Gaz
Dulce desdén, Juan Arañés
Vuestra belleza señora, Anónimo
De nubes de una tristeza, Anónimo
Esperar, sentir, morir, Juan Hidalgo

Performers:
MARTA LÓPEZ FERNÁNDEZ harpsichord
Photo credit: Sandra Vijandi/Handel & Hendrix in London
Marta López Fernández is a Spanish early keyboard specialist based in London. During the last season she was an Artist in residence at Handel & Hendrix in London as part of their Handel House Talent Scheme. Since moving to London Marta has shown a particular interest towards historical instruments which led her to perform Fenton House, Horniman Museum, Hatchlands Park and Handel Hendrix House. Her Spanish-themed harpsichord recital “Les folies d’Espagne” brought her to Madrid where she performed at the Museo Nacional De Artes Decorativas, as part of the MusaE project organised by Juventudes Musicales de España.
Marta is also a keen continuo player and she was invited to play in the Academy of Ancient Music Aamplify Scheme, featuring workshops and concerts directed by Pavlo Beznosiuk and John Butt in Cambridge and at the Deal Festival. More recently she has been invited to the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Experience Scheme. She is a sought-after continuo player that performs regularly in oratorio and opera productions, collaborating with Eboracum Ensemble, Alba Consort and The Little Orchestra. Marta has also worked with conductors Eamonn Dougan, Robert Howarth and Tom Seligman.
After graduating from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with a Masters in Piano Accompaniment with Pamela Lidiard and Peter Bithell she went on to study harpsichord and organ with Johnstone and Carole Cerasi. She has been awarded the Guildhall Artist Fellowship in Harpsichord & Organ at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (2015-2017).
She has taken part in Masterclasses with Menno van Delft, Richard Egarr, Olivier Baumont, Marieke Spaans, Emma Kirkby and Montserrat Torrent. In 2018 Marta was selected for the Advanced Baroque Orchestra at the Dartington International Summer Course where she was able to work extensively on St Matthew Passion.
JORGE NAVARRO COLORADO tenor

Jorge Navarro Colorado graduated from the Opera Course of the Guildhall School of Music, is a Britten-Pears Alumnus and a Samling Artist.
He has worked with conductors included David Angus, Renato Balsadonna, Stephen Barlow, Christopher Bucknall, William Christie, Laurence Cummings, Gianluca Marcianò, Iñaki Encina Oyón and Timothy Redmond, and has sung and understudied principal roles with Scottish Opera, British Youth Opera, Chelsea Opera Group, Garsington Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Grange Park Opera, New Chamber Opera, the New London Consort and Wexford Festival Opera.
Jorge Navarro Colorado made his debut at the 2017 Göttingen Festival as Berengario Lotario. Recent engagements include the title role in Carissimi’s Jonas for English Touring Opera,Circles within Circles at the 2018 London Song Festiva, Baby John West Side Story at the 2018Bath Festival, Damon Acis and Galatea at the 2018 London Handel Festival, Emilio Partenope for Iford Arts, Tempo Il Trionfo del Temp e del Disinganno for the Académie de musique ancienne 2018 at the Festival de Périgord Noir and at the Theater Aachen, Apollo L’Orfeo for Gothenburg Baroque, Don Ottavio Don Giovanni for HeadFirst Productions, Settimio in Porpora’s L’Agrippina for Barber Opera, Ton Koopman’s reconstruction of J. S. Bach St Mark Passion with the BZM Ensemble, Barcelona, Grandes Mecenas (Music by J. S. Bach and Handel) with the Orquesta Barroca Alicante, Britten St Nicolas with the Capilla de Música Santa María del Coro, San Sebastián and Haydn Stabat Mater with the Polski Chór Kameralny.
Current engagements include J. S. Bach Christmas Oratorio with Gothenburg Baroque, Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings with the Israel Chamber Orchestra and Fairest Isle, music by Purcell with the Irish Baroque Orchestra.
www.jorgencolorado.com

Zarzuela evening
2018-10-24 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Silk Street Music Hall – Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Silk Street, Barbican, London, EC2Y 8DT, United Kingdom
Guildhall singers celebrate the Spanish Zarzuela tradition, with works by masters such as Arrieta, Caballero, Chapí, Giménez, Guerrero, Serrano, Sorozábal, Moreno Torroba and Vives, in a concert curated by Ricardo Gosalbo and sponsored by the British Spanish Society.

Songs at Six | Songs from the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America
2018-05-16 18:00 - 19:00 UTC | Silk Street Music Hall – Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Silk Street, Barbican, London, EC2Y 8DT, United Kingdom
Guildhall School’s postgraduate singers and pianists present a programme that draws on the rich and often overlooked heritage of piano-accompanied vocal repertoire from the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America.
Curated by Ricardo Gosalbo.
Performed by Gary Beecher (piano), Clara Kanter (mezzo), Seung-Ju Lee (piano), Chavdar Mazgalov (piano), Jessica Ouston (mezzo) and Elsa Roux Chamoux (mezzo).
Programme:
Manuel de Falla: Siete canciones populares españolas
El paño moruno
Seguidilla murciana
Asturiana
Jota
Nana
Canción
Polo

Xavier Montsalvatge: Cinco canciones negras
Cuba dentro de un piano
Punto de Habanera
Chévere
Canción de cuna para dormir a un negrito
Canto negro

Federico García Lorca: Canciones Españolas Antiguas
Anda, jaleo
Las tres hojas
Nana de Sevilla

Federico Mompou: El combat del somni
Jo et pressentia com la mar
Ara no sé si et veig, encar
Aquesta nit un mateix vent
Fes-me la vida transparent
Damunt de tu només les flors

Eduard Toldrà: Seis canciones castellanas
Madre, unos ojuelos vi
Mañanita de San Juan
Nadie puede ser dichoso

Federico Mompou: Dos melodías de Juan Ramón Jiménez
Pastoral
Llueve sobre el río

Joaquín Turina: Poema en forma de canciones Op.19
Dedicatoria
Nunca olvida
Cantares
Los dos miedos
Las locas por amor

The Music of Murillo
2018-05-15 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Kings College London, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS, United Kingdom
Celebrating four hundred years of the birth of Murillo in 1617 and closing the symposium Murillo in Perspective, Guildhall postgraduate singers perform settings of Spanish Golden-Age lyrics by Joaquín Turina, Eduard Toldrá, Joaquín Rodrigo, Joaquín Nin, Fernando Obradors and Frederic Mompou against a vibrant backdrop of some of Murillo’s finest drawings and paintings.
Curated by Ricardo Gosalbo and Professor Barry Ife, in collaboration with GSMD, ARTES and King’s College London.
Performed by Erika Baikoff (soprano), Ingrid Chan (piano), Matthew Dixon (baritone), Aida Gimeno García (soprano), Alice Girle (soprano), Richard Hall (piano), Camille Lemonnier (piano) and Olivia Sjoberg (mezzo).

Para celebrar el Cuarto Centenario del nacimiento del gran pintor en 1617 y como clausura del simposio Murillo en Perspectiva, alumnos de posgrado de Guildhall School of Music and Drama interpretarán canciones de Rodrigo, Obradors, Turina, Mompou, Toldrá y Nin sobre textos de los grandes del Siglo de Oro español como Quevedo, Lope, S. Juan de la Cruz, Literes y Marín.
Un programa ideado por Ricardo Gosalbo y Prof. Barry Ife, en colaboración con GSMD, ARTES y King’s College London
Intérpretes: Erika Baikoff (soprano), Ingrid Chan (piano), Matthew Dixon (baritone), Aida Gimeno García (soprano), Alice Girle (soprano), Richard Hall (piano), Camille Lemonnier (piano) and Olivia Sjoberg (mezzo).

Venue: King’s College London, St David’s Room K-1.56
Admittance is free, however registration is required via the following site, as places are limited:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-music-of-murillo-tickets-45240237769
Programme:

Joaquín Nín | José Marín (1619-1699) | Catorce aires españoles antiguos (1923):
– Desengañémonos ya…
Joaquín Nín | José Bassa (1670?-1730?) | Catorce aires españoles antiguos (1923):
– Minué cantado
Joaquín Nín | Antonio Literes (1680?-1755?) | Catorce aires españoles antiguos (1923):
– Aria de Acis y Galatea
Fernando Obradors | Anonymous (17th century) | Canciones clásicas españolas:
– ¿Corazón porqué pasáis…?
Joaquín Nín | José Marín (1619-1699) | Catorce aires españoles antiguos (1923):
– Corazón que en prisión
Eduard Toldrà | Lope de Vega (1562-1635) | Seis canciones castellanas (1941):
– Cartarcillo
Joaquín Rodrigo | San Juan de la Cruz (1542-1591) | Cántico de la esposa (1934)
Joaquín Rodrigo | Lope de Vega (1562-1635) | Coplas del pastor enamorado (1935)
Fernando Obradors | Juan Ponce (16th century) | Canciones clásicas españolas:
– La mi sola, Laureola
Federico Mompou | San Juan de la Cruz (1542-1591) | Cantar del alma
Eduard Toldrà | Lope de Vega (1562-1635) | Seis canciones castellanas (1941):
– Madre, unos ojuelos ví
Joaquín Turina | Lope de Vega (1562-1635) | Homenaje a Lope de Vega Op. 90 (1935):
I. Cuando tan hermosa os miro
Joaquín Turina | Lope de Vega (1562-1635) | Homenaje a Lope de Vega Op. 90 (1935):
II. Si con mis deseos
Joaquín Turina | Lope de Vega (1562-1635) | Homenaje a Lope de Vega Op. 90 (1935):
III. Al val de Fuente Ovejuna
Fernando Obradors | Francisco de Quevedo (1580-1645) | Canciones clásicas españolas:
– La moza y los calvos (Romance)

Francisco de Goya in love and song
2018-03-06 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | Grace Belgravia, 11c W Halkin Street, London, SW1X 8JL, United Kingdom
Lecture-recital with Dr Jacqueline Cockburn, Karen Schriesheim (soprano), Jorge Navarro Colorado (tenor) and Dan Bovey (classical guitar)
Programme to include:
Fernando Sor (1778-1839)
– Cesa de atormentarme
– Mis descuidados ojos
– El que quisiera amando
– Puede una buena moza
Enrique Granados (1867-1916)
– Callejeo (from ‘Tonadillas en estilo antiguo’)
– El majo olvidado (from ‘Tonadillas en estilo antiguo’)
– El mirar de la maja (from ‘Tonadillas en estilo antiguo’)
– El majo tímido (from ‘Tonadillas en estilo antiguo’)
– La maja de Goya (from ‘Tonadillas en estilo antiguo’)
Goya, a rough and rebellious artist and the beautiful but capricious duchess of Alba embarked on a liaison which has kept lovers of Goya’s art amused and gossiping for over two hundred years. Over his career however, he painted women as lover and procuress, sinner and saint, worker and aristocrat, heroine and victim, goddess and witch. This lecture will explore the many varied ways Goya represented women during his life time. We will explore his relationships with and approaches to women. Naked or clothed they appear in their many guises as Muses who inspire his scrutiny and at times his satirical glance. Women’s roles changed during the eighteenth century. Some lit cannons and battled with a waning Inquisition. Others ruled over the country or were patrons of the arts. Many were victims of war and some were burnt as witches. Goya’s glance is often adoring; his brushstrokes seem to caress their bodies lovingly and sensually. He is also sympathetic and horrified and provides us with extraordinary historical insights.
Goya’s work inspired musicians and composers and this lecture will be accompanied by singers, Jorge Navarro and Karen Schriesheim and the classical guitarist Daniel Bovey.
Having attended the Spanish military academy, Fernando Sor (1778-1839) took part in the Spanish War of Independence between 1808-1814. Many composers were forced into exile after the war as a result of their liberal views. Like Ledesma, León and García, Sor joined a numerous colony of Spanish exiles in London. Sor wrote many Canciones patrióticas in his exile, perhaps in the hope of spreading his political message or simply driven by a certain nostalgia/homesickness. These Canciones became remarkable political symbols, were sung in cafes, streets, theatres, salon gatherings, and served to bring together Spaniards. Granados’ Tonadillas, written around 1914, were inspired by Goya’s depictions of 18th century Madrilenian majos and majas. They bear witness to the extent to which Goya’s work influenced Spanish artists beyond his time and beyond the realm of art.
Dr Jacqueline Cockburn is Managing Director of Art and Culture Andalucía (www.artandcultureandalucia.com) She runs residential courses in Andalucía, Southern Spain in the art and culture of the region. Jacqueline also works in London as a free-lance lecturer. She lectures at Grace for The Art Story, the V and A, Christies Education, The Art Fund, The London Art History Society and Art Pursuits Abroad as well as several other prestigious institutions and is accredited by The Arts Society working all over the world for them delivering lectures on a variety of art historical topics. Her specialist field is Spanish Art but she also lectures on European Art 1790-1950. She lectured at Westminster School, London and Birkbeck College, University of London for over 20 years. She took her first degree in Modern Languages then an M.A in Sao Paulo Brazil on Applied Linguistics. Her Art History degree and PhD were taken at London University.

Bécquer Settings
2017-02-02 18:00 - 19:00 UTC | Silk Street Music Hall – Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Silk Street, Barbican, London, EC2Y 8DT, United Kingdom
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer is one of the most famous and celebrated authors in Spanish literature. His poems, though short and few, are considered one of the pillars of modern Spanish poetry, and their mark beyond Spanish literature is patent in Spanish music with the large number of composers who have set his verses to music.
His poetry is rich and complex, yet seems completely spontaneous. It combines the influence of high poetry, with a popular/folk tone. Bécquer wished no doubt to emphasise this apparent simplicity by calling his poems ‘Rimas’ (rhymes in english). This sincerity and modesty come in sharp contrast with other Spanish poets of his time, whose poetry, though elegant, was generally didactic and declamatory. Instead, Bécquer would follow the example being set in Germany, finding great inspiration in particular in Heinrich Heine’s work. As early as 1861, he wrote about the ‘necessity for Spanish popular song to be elevated and become a true art form’. Thus, he became instrumental in the development of the Spanish Lied, some examples of which we will hear this evening.
This evening’s programme includes early song settings of the 1870s and 1880s, settings by Andalusian composers (Turina, Falla), and Federico Mompou’s 1971 song cycle ‘Canciones becquerianas’.

Two anniversaries: Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) & Enrique Granados (1867-1916)
2016-11-14 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | St James’s Church, Piccadilly, 197 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9LL, United Kingdom
ELENA GRAGERA, Mezzosoprano
ANTON CARDÓ, Piano
PROGRAMME:
MIGUEL DE CERVANTES: Poets of his time
ROBERT GERHARD (1896-1970) & GIL VICENTE (1470?-1536): “Por do pasaré la sierra”
FREDERIC MOMPOU (1893-1987) & SAN JUAN DE LA CRUZ (1542-1591): “Cantar del alma”
ENRIQUE GRANADOS (1867-1916) & LUIS DE GÓNGORA (1561-1627): “Lloraba la niña” (De “Canciones Amatorias”)
JOAQUÍN RODRIGO (1901-1999) & FÉLIX LOPE DE VEGA (1562-1635): “Pastorcito santo”
MIGUEL DE CERVANTES: His poems
LEONARDO BALADA (1933): “Bailan las Gitanas” ( “Tres cervantinas”)
ERNESTO HALFFTER (1905-1989): “Canción de Dorotea” (El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha)
JOAQUÍN NIN-CULMELL (1908-2004):
“Siempre escogen las mujeres”
(“La guarda cuidadosa)
–“Canciones de La Barraca”-
“Vete, vete pícaro hablador”
–Canciones de “La Barraca”-
HUGO WOLF (1860-1903): “Köpfchen, köpfchen, nicht gewimmert” (“Cabecita, cabecita”:”La Gitanilla”) (“Spanisches Liederbuch”)
ENRIQUE GRANADOS
“Cançó d´amor” -Josep Mª Roviralta-
“Canto gitano” -Enrique Granados-
TONADILLAS EN ESTILO ANTIGUO (1914):
“La Maja de Goya”
“El Majo discreto”
“El tralalá y el punteado”
CANCIONES AMATORIAS (1914-15):
“Mañanica era” –Anónimo-
“Lloraba la niña” –Góngora-

Romances
2015-11-19 13:10 - 14:00 UTC | Song in the City, The Parish and Ward Church of St. Botolph without Bishopsgate, Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 3TL, United Kingdom
Programme:
– “La Maja Dolorosa” Tonadilla de E. Granados
– “La zagala alegre” E. Toldra
– “Anhelos” de J. Turina
– “De los álamos vengó,madre” de J. Rodrigo
– Marinero en tierra, Rodolfo Halffter
– La corza blanca, Ernesto Halffter
– Cançó del Teuladí Joaquín Rodrigo
– Trobadoresca Joaquín Rodrigo
– Del Cabello más sutil, Fernando Obradors
– La tabernera del puerto, de Pablo Sorozábal, “No puede ser”
– Montecarmelo, de Federico Moreno Torroba ” Madre de mis amores”
– Jugar con fuego, de Francisco Barbieri ” Un tiempo fue”
– El Gato montés, de Manuel Penella (dúo)
– Doña Francisquita, de Amadeo Vives (dúo)
Performers:
Susana Casas, soprano
Eduard Mas Bacardit, tenor
Jorge Carrasco, piano
Susana Casas, soprano
Susana Casas was born in Sevilla. She born in Seville (Spain) and studied singing in Madrid. She has sung as a soloist both in opera, operetta, zarzuela and musical theatre (The Phantom of the Opera, Amadeus, La Traviata, Il Segreto di Susana, La Voix Humaine, etc. ) She has also performed in Latin America (Mexico, Peru and Cuba) and was a finalist at the International Singing Competition in Trujillo, Peru.
Other collaborations include: Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen with the Company of Contemporary Dance of Andalusia, Alfano’s Cyrano de Bergerac, Puccini’s Turandot and Manon Lescaut, Busoni’s Turandot, Verdi’s La Traviata and Don Carlo, Humperdinck’s Haensel and Gretel, Mozart’s Le Nozze di Fígaro etc at Teatro de La Maestranza in Seville. She is a member of the Open Music Project with the Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla (ROSS). She will soon take part in the opera The little Sweep by B.Britten in Spain.
Juan de Dios Mateos, tenor
Born in Almería (Spain), he started his singing studies in 2006 at the age of 17 at the Almería Conservatoire, while he was studying flute. In 2010 he was awarded the diploma on Music Education by the University of Almería. One year later he finished his flute studies with the best marks of his promotion and in 2013 he received a Master diploma by the University of Jaén in Acting and Opera Interpretation.
His singing career started in 2009 with Le Nozze di Figaro (Basilio and Curzio). Since then he has performed roles in Don Giovanni (Don Ottavio), Bastien und Bastienne (Bastien), West Side Story (Tony), The Phantom of the Opera (Raoul), Luisa Fernanda (Javier) and many opera and zarzuela recitals.
He has studied with Coral Morales, Francisco Crespo, Francesca Roig, Francisco Poyato, Jaume Aragall, Carlos Hacar or Lionel Sarrazin among others and currently he studies with Carlos Aransay.
Since March 2015 he sings with Paris National Opera Chorus and has been invited to participate with the Opera Studio of Paris to sing Le Vol Retour (role of Bidule) next December.
Jorge Carrasco, piano
Spanish pianist Jorge Carrasco was born in Torrevieja, Aicante where he studied piano. In London he has specialised in ballet accompaniment, working as a main repetiteur at the “Central School of Ballet” and ” London Contemporary Dance School “. He studied Lied at the Staatlische Hochschule fur Musik de Karlsuhe (Germany) and was a pupil of Hartmut Holl and Mitsuko Shirai. Jorge sings as a tenor with London ensembles such as Coro Cervantes and The Renaissance Singers.
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Razones de estado: El Quijote en la zarzuela
2015-11-11 18:30 - 19:30 UTC | Instituto Cervantes, 102 Eaton Square, London, SW1W 9AN, United Kingdom
Lecturer / Conferenciante: Begoña Lolo (Directora del Centro Superior de Investigación y Promoción de la Música de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid)
Lecture in Spanish / Conferencia en castellano
ABSTRACT / RESUMEN
El Quijote fue desde el primer momento de su publicación una obra muy utilizada por los compositores europeos como tema de inspiración, en todo tipo de repertorios, a lo largo de los siglos. Francia, Inglaterra, Alemania e Italia, inmediatamente utilizaron la obra a medida que se fueron produciendo las traducciones, algo que sucedió en un periodo de tiempo muy breve desde su publicación.
Sin embargo, en el caso de España, fue necesario esperar al siglo XIX para que la obra de Cervantes fuese utilizada como tema de inspiración en la música. La imagen de la decadencia de España alimentada por la leyenda negra, la crisis económica y la independencia de nuestras colonias, necesitaba con urgencia de la búsqueda de un icono cultural que ayudase a emanar una nueva imagen. Por esta razón la Real Academia Española entronizó la celebración del día 23 de abril, en 1861, como día de las Letras y día de Cervantes, fecha que se celebró con el estreno de la primera zarzuela escrita sobre tema cervantino debida al compositor Barbieri, que incentivó el enorme desarrollo posterior.

El terrible Pérez
2015-10-14 18:30 - 19:30 UTC | Instituto Cervantes, 102 Eaton Square, London, SW1W 9AN, United Kingdom
Video projection of the zarzuela: El terrible Pérez (Terrible Pérez), by Arniches, García García Álvarez, López Torregrosa and Valverde.
In Spanish with English subtitles.
Introduction by Carlos Aransay.
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