The Sonora Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 2024 Festival already has the ten finalist bands that will compete for the awards and accolades of the 11th edition of the competition aimed at promoting emerging artists from the Archipelago. Ten finalists who will defend their respective proposals live in the grand final at the Miller Space on Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16, and to culminate this edition, on June 22 at the Plaza de la Música, the Sonora 2024 Festival will take place with the participation of renowned artists from the national and international scene.
The 2024 finalists, according to the jury’s decision after holding auditions last Saturday, February 24 at the Creative Youth Space La Grada in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, are: Alizulh (Gran Canaria), Bad Bone Stompers (Tenerife), Dyatlov (Tenerife), El Marido Ideal (Gran Canaria), Hey Chabón (Gran Canaria), Muyaio (Tenerife), Nala Rami (Gran Canaria), Paula Espinosa (Gran Canaria), Pink Flamingos & The Cherry Lovers (Gran Canaria) and Virya Cruz (Gran Canaria).
Open to all proposals
The eleventh edition of Sonora Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 2024, a contest open to any musical proposal, whether pop, rock, singer-songwriter, world music, folk, jazz, urban, contemporary, experimental, or electronic, created by a band or artist residing in the Canary Islands, highlights the overall good state of musical creation on the islands. This is not only due to the quality of the proposals improving year after year, but also in terms of quantity: a total of 137 bands and artists have signed up for this edition of Sonora, a record number of participants never before seen in its long history, surpassing by almost two dozen the record set in last year’s edition. Additionally, six out of ten entrants are participating in Sonora for the first time.
Although the Festival takes place in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, over time the local bands have come to realize that it is a regional competition, resulting in 41% of the proposals – four out of ten – coming from Tenerife, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma, or El Hierro. La Gomera and La Graciosa did not submit proposals this year.
The grand final
The next event is the grand final of the competition, which will be held live and with free entry on Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16, with 25 minutes of performance for each band or artist. The winner of this year’s edition will be chosen from this showcase. Five finalists will perform on Friday and another five on Saturday at the Miller Space in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where the jury will announce the winner.
For the band or artist who wins the first prize, there is a cash prize of £5,000 to be invested in music promotion activities such as recordings, music videos, or support for tours, as well as a direct pass to perform at the Sonora Festival, which will be held for free on June 22 at the Plaza de la Música as part of the cultural events of the Foundational Festivities of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The second prize consists of a £1,500 cheque, also intended for the creation and promotion of an artistic project.
Moreover, for any of the ten finalists of Sonora 2024, there is an extra prize: the possibility of being selected by the scouters of HeroFest, Phe Festival, Sonidos Líquidos, and Festival Boreal – whose directors are part of the jury of the grand final on March 15 and 16 – and thus participate in these powerful festivals scattered throughout the Canary Islands. This is what the organization calls ‘Sonora Passport’, through which this festival takes care of covering the cost of the performances of the finalists selected for these Canarian festivals, turning it into a “festival of festivals,” as described by its director, Juan Salán.
Sonora is an event that showcases the musical talent of the islands and contributes to the promotion of emerging bands and artists from all of the Canary Islands, produced by Salán Producciones with the sponsorship of the Cultural Area and the collaboration of the Youth Department of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
