The 69th International Contest of Habaneras and Polyphony of Torrevieja, was opened on Monday with an extraordinary gala in which the Symphony choir of the Municipal Choral School, under the direction of the Cuban teacher Selena Cancino Escobar, took to the stage.
This was an extraordinary occasion for this youth group following its success in winning the first prizes in the prestigious Habaneras Contests of Totana and Candás.
The Opening Gala was completed with the warmth of the singer Pasión Vega who sang with the Sinfonía choir, one of the most universal habaneras, ‘La Paloma’ by Sebastián Iradier, premiering an arrangement by her pianist, Jacob Sureba.
The singer spoke of the deep joy she felt upon reuniting with Torrevieja where she has previously performed as she complimented the way in which the city “is concerned with keeping and transmitting the habanera tradition that is so successfully performed by its Choral School”.
The mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolón, spoke of “the pride that Torrevieja residents have in guaranteeing the continuation of the habanera genre with the work carried out by the Choral School, not only with the Sinfonía choir –which is its great flagship– but also with all its younger groups that instil from childhood the love for the contest that identifies the city throughout the world”.
He also thanked the commitment of the Torrevieja choirs, which have been “the true supporters of the continuity of the Contest since 1955”.
In speaking of the competition between the choirs Dolón predicted “an edition with very high qualitative expectations, which consolidates the normalisation of this type of musical event following the COVID19 pandemic.”
The presenter, Elena Sánchez, who is back in Torrevieja after having presented the 2017 to 2019 competitions, emphasised the ties that unite her with the city of salt through this “world-renowned contest with indisputable cultural and musical prestige”.
Monday’s Opening Gala had a marked Torrevieja flavour, the scenic-musical recreation of ‘El Regalo: el cuento de la Habanera’, the Maestro Ricardo Lafuente choir and orchestra and the Francisco Vallejos choir from Torrevieja.
