On November 29, the Cervantes Theater in Linares hosted the Linares (Spain) Sings to Poveda Tribute Concert, an event that culminated the series of activities that began on December 3, 2024, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Pedro Poveda in the city of Jaén.
Photo courtesy of PTV Linares.
The event was presented by Blanca Sánchez and Juan Luis Sotés, who are connected to the Association in different ways. In their welcome speech, they highlighted the work of Pedro Poveda and its international reach: “A work that continues to change the lives of people who come into contact with it through any of its projects.”
They also expressed their gratitude to the Linares City Council, the Culture Information Commission, and the Councilor for Culture, Susana Ferrer, for making this tribute possible.
Next, the four Linares choirs participating in the concert were introduced: the Andrés Segovia choir, the Virgen de Linarejos choir, the Castulum choir and orchestra, and the Musicalma choir and orchestra.
Each of them performed four musical pieces, and one of the most emotional moments was provided by the Castulum orchestra. About an hour into the concert, in the middle of their last piece, The Great Gate of Kiev by Modest Mussorgsky (Russian musician), the voice of one of the choir members, Gregorio Sánchez Raya (member of the TA), rose up. Amidst an overwhelming silence, he repeated the following words of Pedro Poveda: “Men of God and women of God are unmistakable. They are not distinguished by their brilliance or dazzling qualities, nor by their strength, but by their holy fruits.”
The event concluded with a group photo, for which María Carmen Aragonés, Sector Director of the Teresian Association in Spain, Belén Muñoz, director of the Poveda Cultural Center in Linares, and representatives from all the choirs were called to be on the stage. In addition, Gregorio Sánchez received a surprise award for his “great effort and dedication in developing and carrying out the concert and activities of the Poveda Year celebrated in Linares.”
Tribute Concert
City of Linares Culture Awards
A few days earlier, on Thursday, November 27, at the same venue, the Cervantes Theater, the Teresian Association received the City of Linares Culture Award in the category of Cultural and Educational Promotion: “For its 150 years of history and its educational and human legacy” in this town in Jaén.
These awards are organized by the Culture Department of the Linares City Council and seek to recognize the career and dedication of local artists, groups, and institutions that make an outstanding contribution to the field of culture in Linares.
Auxi del Olmo, mayor of Linares, noted in her presentation of the TA that it is an essential part of the educational and human soul of the municipality. “Celebrating 150 years of history means celebrating thousands of lives transformed and thousands of values sown, as well as a legacy that honors the figure of Pedro Poveda, a man who dreamed of an education that would touch the mind, the heart, and life.”
After a video presentation of the TA, the mayor herself, together with Councillor Francisco José Mañas, presented the award to María Carmen Aragonés and Belén Muñoz.
Aragonés mentioned in her speech that culture is the humus where life develops and education strengthens culture. She recalled that Pedro Poveda's goal was to form people capable of transforming themselves, critical and free. People who work for the common good and do so from the alliance of opposites, that is, from the promotion of dialogue and peace, without excluding those who have different ideas or beliefs, from diversity.
Finally, she thanked the Linares City Council for its support and contribution to the activities carried out by the Poveda Cultural Center.
Along with the TA, awards were given to the Nuestro Padre Jesús de la Pasión Music Association, playwright Pedro Guido, and bullfighter Adrián de Torres. The gala also featured a musical performance by the Zayin brass quintet.
City of Linares Culture Awards Gala
We would like to thank PTV Linares for providing some of the images and videos that appear in this article.
TA Info.
TA Translation Team.
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