SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 9th March (EUROPA PRESS) –
Last Friday evening, Queen Sofía led the exceptional concert celebrating the 30th anniversary of the foundation of the Group of World Heritage Cities in Spain. The event took place at the Cathedral of La Laguna in Tenerife, the city currently holding the presidency of the organisation.
This concert marked the beginning of a series of cultural activities and performances planned over the coming months in the 15 Spanish cities recognised by UNESCO.
The Tenerife City Council reported that the event was graced by the presence of the Mayor of La Laguna and President of the Heritage Cities, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez; the President of the Canary Islands Government, Fernando Clavijo; the President of the Canary Islands Parliament, Astrid Pérez; and the President of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, along with other civilian and military dignitaries.
Also in attendance were the Second Vice President and Mayor of Segovia (José Mazarias), and the Mayors of Alcalá de Henares (Judith Piquet), Ávila (Jesús Manuel Sánchez Cabrera), Cáceres (Rafael Mateos), and Toledo (Carlos Velázquez).
Similarly, representatives Iago Lestegas (Santiago de Compostela), Guillermo García de Castro (Tarragona), José Antonio Jiménez Molina (Baeza), Daniel García Ibarrola (Córdoba), Marta Tirado García (Cuenca), Jordi Grivé Cardona (Ibiza), Felipe González Martín (Mérida), and Elena Rodríguez García (Úbeda) were present on behalf of their cities.
Following the concert, the former queen greeted the Mayors of the fifteen cities within the Group, and the Bishop of the Diocese of Tenerife, Bernardo Álvarez, at the entrance of the cathedral.
A “DISTINGUISHED” OCCASION FOR HERITAGE CITIES
The Mayor of La Laguna emphasised that “this is an exceedingly special occasion for La Laguna and for the Group of Heritage Cities in Spain.”
Continuing, he stated, “Primarily, because we are commemorating our 30 years of history with a remarkable cultural event in an exceptional heritage setting, which are two defining characteristics for us. And, secondly, because once again we have the backing of the Royal Family, now represented by Her Majesty Queen Sofia, whose unwavering support for the Group has been consistent over these three decades, and for which we are profoundly grateful.”
The concert showcased soprano Raquel Lojendio and tenor Airam Hernández, accompanied by a chamber ensemble comprised of Julia Nikoliszak on first violin, Eugenia Jaubert de Valcárcel on second violin, Alba Gorrea Muñoz on viola, Ciro Hernández on cello, and Satomi Moritomoto on piano.
The programme included compositions by Handel, Schubert, Haydn, Beethoven, Bizet, Mozart, Debussy, Barber, Fauré, Gounod, and Leonard Cohen, arranged by Ciro Hernández for string quartet and piano.
