Mozart and the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Headline Canary Islands Music Festival in Fuerteventura
Tickets are now on sale, and a season‑ticket option has been reinstated for the six concerts scheduled at the Palace.
The Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra (OFGC), under the baton of Karel Mark Chichon and presenting a Mozart monographic program, opens the 42nd edition of the International Music Festival of the Canary Islands in Fuerteventura. It will be one of six highlighted concerts offered to the public between January 14 and February 7, mainly at the Palace of Training and Congresses, with additional performances at the Antigua Auditorium. Tickets and season passes are already available.
The line‑up also features other distinguished ensembles, such as the Il Giardino d’Amore ensemble, soprano Raquel Lojendio with pianist Chiky Martín, and young pianist Gabriel Ducatenzeiler. Two attractive projects from the “En Paralelo” section round out the program: the latest show by the Pieles company, titled “Arahal,” and a concert by Guiguan Project with trumpeter Markus Stockhausen.
The autonomous government, organizer of the festival through its Culture Department and in collaboration with the island councils, has decided to repeat the season‑ticket formula that proved successful in the previous edition. This year the package includes all six concerts programmed at the Palace of Training and Congresses, offered at a special ticket price. Season passes can be purchased on the festival website www.festivaldecanarias.com.
Program Kick‑off
The festival will open in Fuerteventura on Wednesday, January 14, with the Guiguan Project concert featuring Markus Stockhausen at the Palace of Training and Congresses, 20:30. The trio—Javier Infante (guitar), Alexis Lemes (timple) and Javier Colina (double bass)—shares a deep desire to develop a unique style rooted in their island heritage. Their collaboration with the renowned German trumpeter and composer, a leading innovator and improviser on the European jazz scene, promises to lift the musical experience to new heights.
Under Karel Mark Chichon, the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra will be the centerpiece of the next concert on Friday, January 16, 20:30, at the Palace. The Mozart monograph will include the overture to La finta giardiniera, the Sinfonia Concertante, and Symphony No. 29—works from the 1770s when the composer balanced his duties as a salaried court musician in Salzburg with boundless creativity. Soloists for the Sinfonia Concertante will be Sergio Marrero (violin) and Adriana Ilieva (viola).
The Pieles company will present its new show on Monday, January 19, also at the main venue, 20:30. Titled “Arahal. A Place to Rest,” the interdisciplinary piece weaves percussion, voice, stone, seed, and silence into an ancestral chant that links the Canary Islands, North Africa, and the Sephardic legacy, opening a threshold to the intimate, the sacred, and the collective.
Young pianist Gabriel Ducatenzeiler will perform on Saturday, January 24, at the Antigua Auditorium, 20:00. At just 23, the Gran Canaria‑ and Germany‑trained virtuoso has already won several awards and maintains an active concert career. His program will span from Baroque (Bach) to contemporary (Laura Vega), including the great piano masters—Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff.
Il Giardino d’Amore will stop in Fuerteventura on Saturday, January 31, presenting a repertoire that traverses German, Italian, and French Baroque: Vivaldi, Leclair, Rebel, Westhoff, Bach, Tartini, Locke, and Purcell. This prestigious Polish ensemble, formed by a circle of friends sharing a love for music, will be directed by violinist Stefan Plewniak and will appear on the main stage at 20:30.
The festival will close on Saturday, February 7, with a concert featuring Canary soprano Raquel Lojendio accompanied by Madrid pianist Chiky Martín at the same venue. Their program, “Songs of Two Worlds,” invites the audience on a delightful journey across the Atlantic shores, interpreting works by composers ranging from Lorca to Villa‑Lobos, including Falla, Halffter, Guastavino, Ginastera, Lorenzo Fernández, and Ovalle.