MCB, International Music Competition Maria Canals Barcelona

This year’s Maria Canals International Music Competition takes place at the Palau de la Música Catalana, from 18 March to 1 April, and at several iconic sites, streets and squares in the city.

During this period, some hundred pianists from 27 different countries will be taking part in the competition and offering concerts throughout the city as part of the Maria Canals OFF-Competition.

One of this year’s notable novelties is the piano to be played by the finalists for the 57th Competition. It is a new CFX model, a 2.75 metre-long grand piano, which Yamaha has been working on for the last 19 years and which audiences will be able to hear for the first time in Spain during the Maria Canals Competition.

This year marks the first Maria Canals Competition not to be attended by its creator, Maria Canals i Cendrós, who died last July at the ripe old age of 96. This year’s competition is therefore aiming to pay a special tribute to its creator through an exhibition entitled A life in Music and a tribute event at the Palau de la Música.

This programme will kick off at Plaza Reial, where on Friday 18 March, OFF Maria Canals has organised a twelve-hour marathon in collaboration with the La Reial ens mou association.

“La Reial ens mou”, new initiative in Barcelona

Music, children’s shows, literary circles, workshops, wine tasting sessions: all this and much more can be found in Plaça Reial, thanks to Plaça Reial ens mou, an initiative that aims to broaden the range of cultural and leisure activities on offer in this iconic Barcelona square.

Roberto Tierz, who is the president of the Plaça Reial Friends and Traders Association, says the idea is for “the people of Barcelona to rediscover the Plaça Reial and enjoy the square“.

December saw “Raval Kids” and they have also started the Sunday mornings for children, with puppet shows, magic, storytelling and circus acts at the sala Tarantos. Since February they have been offering 30 minutes of jazz, to suit everybody, on Sunday mornings in sala Jamboree. What’s more, when the good weather arrives, there will be some open air activities, like musical aperitifs, to encourage music on the terraces.

La Reial ens mou also wants to make the most of the square’s gastronomic side and has therefore organised tea, coffee and wine tasting, led by tasters and wine experts, in the square’s bars and restaurants.

In short, the big aim is “the ‘reconquest’ of the square, for people to return to a square that has a great deal to offer and is a great unknown in the city“.

If you would like to know all the activities and events that the Plaça Reial Friends and Traders Association will organize with the new initiative, please visit the La Reial website.

La Laia Festival, another festivity of Barcelona

The legend of Eulàlia tells how a thirteen year old girl who lived in a farmhouse in Sarrià rebelled against the Roman Emperor Diocles’ persecution of Christians. Eulàlia, or Laia for short, was sentenced to death but she never gave up fighting for her beliefs.

Today, this girl – Saint Eulalia – is the joint patron saint of Barcelona and star personality of the city’s winter festival. A festival aimed at every child in Barcelona who bears that extremely courageous girl’s spirit of solidarity.

On Friday, 12 February there will be the night parade and the city’s Eagle Dance, inside the Santa Maria del Mar basilica. Remember that giant figures, with Laia herself at the head, will be the special guests of this festival, which will also feature parades and dancing throughout its days.

Plaça Reial will be bursting with frenetic energy from 11am, when the city’s giants and historic mythical beasts take part in one of the most eye-catching and traditional street parades of this festival.

Another must-see event of this festival is the “correfoc” or running firework display. On Sunday, 14 February Plaça de Sant Jaume will fill up with little devils at 6.30pm and, afterwards at 8pm, Avinguda de la Catedral will be the setting for fire and colourful flames at the traditional Santa Eulalia “correfoc”.

The Teatre Poliorama, the Macba and the Museu Marítim are staging music, dance and theatre shows for all the family. You’ll be able to enjoy performances such as “En Joan sense poro Nautilus“, discover the world of dance, take part in workshops, experience the best of hip-hop and relax to music played by ensembles and chamber groups.

Santa Eulàlia Festivity website

Asia Festival in Barcelona

The Asian Festival is back for the 8th edition and the second year in succession it forms part of the La Mercè festivities. This year’s festival will have a star guest to open it: the Chinese rocker Cui Jian, a key figure in China’s current music scene. He will be performing on 23 in Plaça Reial.

Participating in this year’s festival will be members of the Asian communities resident in Barcelona: from China, Pakistan, the Philippines, Bangladesh, South Korea, Japan and Nepal.

These communities will be the protagonists in the free activities making up “Un dia a l’Àsia” (A day in Asia), a part of the festival that will be held on 24 September and includes about fifty different activities to show the culture of 17 countries.

So, on 24 September, various parts of Ciutadella Park will be turned into little corners of Asia and offering stories, workshops, music (with performances, among others, by Famiya Khan and SK1), games, displays of several kinds of art (calligraphy, Wushu, Ikebana etc.) and sport (Kabaddi), cinema, dance and massage practices, street music and even track games.

In addition, from 23 to 27 September, Ciutadella Park will have a gastronomic area where visitors can savour Asian flavours and cuisine.

More inf@ : www.casaasia.es