Diego Ares in The Hague.
At the end of last year, three concerts of a very diverse nature programmed by the Embassy of Spain to The Hague unfortunately could not be held live, due to COVID-19. Instead, all three performances have been recorded.
As of February 1, 2021, they will be available online through the Embassy’s new YouTube channel, and, later on, also via the VIMEO channel of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) within the VENTANA program, a window to Spanish culture. The aim of this initiative is to promote Spanish creators, institutions, festivals and cultural industries through digital content to support their internationalization.
Singer and art historian Almudena Rubio was born in Madrid, but she has been living and working in The Netherlands since 2012. Rubio was selected to perform at the concert on the occasion of the festivity of St. Nicholas (Sinterklaasconcert) that the Embassy of Spain has been organizing for several years. Her repertoire for live shows revolves around singer-songwriter Chicho Sánchez Ferlosio, whom she greatly admires. In Rubio’s concerts, popular music is melted together with songs of resistance against Franco’s regime (premiere: February 1, 2021, 7:30 p.m., YouTube).
On the occasion of Constitution Day, a flamenco concert by two artists of Spanish origin, Jonay (guitar) and Mike (voice) was recorded at the Spanish Centre in The Hague (Centro Español La Haya). Jonay and Mike, who began their journeys separately, have participated as a duo in various live performances since 4 years, collaborating with the City of The Hague, various cultural centers, theaters, schools and several international organizations (premiere: February 3, 2021, 7.30 p.m., YouTube).
Flores de música (Flowers of Music) is an early music concert, organized by the Musica Antica da Camera Foundation, by Spanish harpsichordist Diego Ares (Vigo, 1983). The program includes a selection of Spanish pieces from the 17th century for keyboard by anonymous composers. Diego Ares has studied piano and harpsichord at this hometown and the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. As a soloist he has performed in many countries, including Spain, France, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Norway and Japan (premiere: February 5, 2021, 7.30 p.m., YouTube).
