ARCHIVED - Monday 21st July, competition continues at the 60th Torrevieja Habaneras Festival

21 choirs from three continents will be performing in Torrevieja in July this year

This year marks the 60th Torrevieja International “Habaneras y Polifonía” Festival in the Eras de la Sal.

Habaneras are a popularized form of song, which originally originated in Cuba and are melodic, rhythmic and very popular along the Spanish Mediterranean coastline, with strong Creole influences. Torrevieja has become a focal point for Habaneras excellence and there are many choirs who specialize in this form of song, all coming together in this highly regarded festival.
To listen to Habaneras, simply go to youtube and type in Habaneras : there are plenty of options, and this is very easy on the ear.

The curtain-raiser to this year’s event will be a gala concert featuring the internationally acclaimed Orfeón Donostiarra choir, who will be performing in Torrevieja for the first time, and on the following evenings there will be performances by competing choirs from nine countries. Six non-competing groups from Torrevieja will perform on the last night, and in competiton there are five more Spanish entrants from the Canaries, Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha and the Basque Country competing with others who are coming from as far away as Ukraine, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina and the Philippines.

There is also a solo Habaneras event on 20th July in which five singers, including a baritone from the USA, will compete for the prestigious first prize.

Each choir will be required to perform this year’s compulsory Habanera, “Amor, esto es amor”, with lyrics by Ramón Martí Ruiz and music written by Francisco Vallejos Albentosa and adapted by his grandson Ramón Mínguez Vallejos.

The climax of the competition falls on Friday 25th July, when the winners are announced and the prizes awarded, and although in these times of austerity costs have had to be cut the whole festival promises once again to be a spectacular celebration of music and entertainment. TVE, the national television company, will be preparing a special program featuring the highlights of the event.

Alongside the actual Certamen, there are various secondary events taking place during July in Torrevieja. An exhibition showing the history of the 60 years of the festival is open all month in the Vista Alegre exhibition centre, there will be a series of street performances in La Mata, a special recreation of the first festivals will be held on 6th July on the Paseo Vista Alegre, and a special night of Habaneras on the beach has been organized on Friday 11th July on the Playa del Cura at 10.30pm

The main concerts are taking place in the Conjunto Histórico Monumental Eras de la Sal
Click for map, Conjunto Histórico Monumental Eras de la Sal

Ticket details and concerts see below:

19th to 26th July International Habaneras and Polifonía Festival in Torrevieja
All concerts begin at 23.00 in the Eras de la Sal on the seafront in Torrevieja
The program for the concerts which are being held during the 60th edition of the Certamen Internacional de Habaneras y Polifonía in Torrevieja is as follows:

Monday 21st July, competition continues at the 60th Torrevieja Habaneras Festival
Choirs from Madrid, Hungary and the Philippines compete in Torrevieja
Start time: 11pm
The choral competition continues with performances by the Voisingers Choir from Pécs in Hungary, the Coral Santiago Apóstol from Madrid and the Ateneo Chamber Singers from the Philippines.
The evening’s entertainment begins at 23.00 in the Eras de la Sal on the seafront in Torrevieja.

Tuesday 22nd July, competition continues at the 60th Torrevieja Habaneras Festival
Choirs from Ukraine, Colombia and Argentina compete in Torrevieja
Start time: 11pm
This evening’s competing choirs are the Autonomous University Choir of Bucaramanga in Colombia, the Lviv Men´s Choir Homin from Ukraine and Estudio Coral Meridies from Argentina.
The evening’s entertainment begins at 23.00 in the Eras de la Sal on the seafront in Torrevieja.

Wednesday 23rd July, competition continues at the 60th Torrevieja Habaneras Festival
Choirs from the Basque Country, Venezuela and Indonesia perform in Torrevieja
Start time: 11pm
Taking the stage will be the Economic and Social Sciences Faculty choir of the University of the Andes in Venezuela, the Oñatiko Ganbara Abesbatza choir from the Basque Country province of Guipuzcoa and the Archipelago Singers from Indonesia.
The evening’s entertainment begins at 23.00 in the Eras de la Sal on the seafront in Torrevieja.

Thursday 24th July, final night of competition in the 60th Torrevieja Habaneras Festival
Start time: 11pm
The last evening of competition features performances by the Yevshan Galician Chamber Choir from Ukraine, the Kammerchor Consono choir from Cologne in Germany and the Coro de Voces Graves from Madrid.
The evening’s entertainment begins at 23.00 in the Eras de la Sal on the seafront in Torrevieja.

Friday 25th July, prize-giving and gala in the 60th Torrevieja Habaneras Festival
Start time: 11pm
The prize-giving ceremony is preceded by a Grand Choral Gala. The concert begins at 23.00 in the Eras de la Sal on the seafront in Torrevieja.

Saturday 26th July, closing ceremony and final performances in the 60th Torrevieja Habaneras Festival
Six local choirs take the stage on the last night of the Torrevieja festival
Start time: 11pm
The closing ceremony of the 60th edition of the Certamen Internacional de Habaneras y Polifonía includes performances by six groups from Torrevieja (the “Maestro Ricardo Lafuente” choir and orchestra, the Masa Coral “José Hódar”, the Coral Torrevejense “Francisco Vallejos”, the Agrupación Coral “Manuel Barberá”, the Coro “Maestro Casanovas” and the Orfeón Municipal “Ricardo Lafuente”).
The anthems of Torrevieja, the region of Valencia and Spain will be performed by the Unión Musical Torrevejense and the Orfeón Municipal “Ricardo Lafuente”.
The evening’s entertainment begins at 23.00 in the Eras de la Sal on the seafront in Torrevieja.

Tickets for all nights of the festival except the opening gala are available to members of the public between 1st and 18th July at the office of the Patronato  Municipal  del  Certamen (Calle Patricio Pérez, 1, 1ºC), from Monday to Friday between 10.00 and 14.00 and from 18.00 to 21.00.
Click for map, Calle Patricio Pérez, Torrevieja

Prices are as follows:
Season tickets Block 1 (rows 1-10): standard rate 56€, pensioners 32€.
Season tickets Block 2 (rows 11 to 33): standard rate 49€, pensioners 28€.
Single night tickets (20th to 24th July inclusive, Block 2 only): standard rate 7€, pensioners 3.50€.
Single night tickets (25th and 26th July, Block 2 only): standard rate 14€, pensioners 7€.

Tickets will also be on sale during the festival itself, starting on 20th July, at the box office of the Teatro Municipal from 10.00 to 13.30 and 18.00 to 23.00.
Click for map, Teatro Municipal Torrevieja