The Cabildo de Tenerife presented today, Monday the 6th, the main new features in Sinfónica de Tenerife’s 2019-2020 season, which is Antonio Méndez’s second as principal conductor. The central idea of the 19-concert series is balancing the old and the new, the well-known and what is yet to be discovered. Starting on 13 September, it will go on until 26 June with some fifty pieces from different periods interpreted.

The President of Cabildo, Carlos Alonso, the island Director for Culture and Education, José Luis Rivero, and the principal conductor of Sinfónica, Antonio Méndez, revealed the details of next season’s programme. Alonso stated that “bringing in Antonio Méndez last season was a good move and he’ll continue with his work this year to lead Sinfónica down the right path. Sinfónica is the flagship of the Island, which we take everywhere through a wide-raging outreach programme. Young people can subscribe to the 19 concerts for 20 euros and there are also discounts for people aged over 65”. 

For his part, José Luis Rivero pointed out “the combination between tradition and newness with a classic repertoire but including new pieces too, like the world premiere of two works by Tenerife composers Rubens Askenar and Gustavo Trujillo”. He also said that Sinfónica has adapted to the new times with a diverse offer, “with the 19 concert subscription for the most loyal followers but also with subscriptions that include a specific number of concerts so that everyone can enjoy music”. 

Antonio Méndez defined the 19-20 season as “the balanced season, a balance between known and new music, with a repertoire that is full of possibilities, representing the personality of Sinfónica de Tenerife”. One of the highlights of the season will be the music by Robert Schumann, with a full series of his symphonies and concerts. Méndez also opts for programmes to reaffirm Sinfónica de Tenerife’s own identity and sonority, like the opening concert which features a repertoire on the sea devoted to Richard Strauss or Mahler’s impressive Third in the closing concert. 

In choosing the old and the new, current music will have a special place with two world premieres of Tenerife composers Rubens Askenar –with a composition chosen at the joint call of Fundación SGAE and Asociación Española de Orquestas Sinfónicas (AEOS), at the proposal of Sinfónica de Tenerife– and Gustavo Trujillo, in addition to novelties on the Island by composers like Daníel Bjarnason, Knut Vaage or Juan Durán. At the same time, the orchestra is also offering a wide representation of  20th century music “as well as beautiful surprises like great classics by Bach, Mendelssohn, Schumann or Wagner to be performed by Sinfónica for the first time”, Méndez explains. 

The choral symphonic repertoire is once again one of the central points in the new season with great works by Bach, Mendelssohn and Mahler, for which Sinfónica will work together with the island’s choirs besides the Cor de Cambra del Palau of Música Catalana of Barcelona. 

Consistent with this programme, the new series of concerts bases its image in the motto “I am Sinfónica”, defined by the values and emotions that the orchestra wishes to portray through the island’s landscape, and a representation of major professionals who give it all for their work and enjoy it immensely.

Top-level guest soloists and conductors

Once again, the Sinfónica de Tenerife features artist in residence and in the 2019-2020 season, they welcome violinist Veronika Eberle, who will make her debut with the orchestra and will perform in three programmes both as soloist and conductor.

Guest soloist musicians include Inon Barnatan (piano), Sebastian Jacot (flute), Marta Bauzá (soprano), Mireia Pintó (alto), Anna Alás (alto), Airam Hernández (tenor), Mark Stone (baritone), Clara Mouriz (soprano), Rafał Blechacz (piano), Evgenny Konnov (piano), Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello), Gerhild Romberger (contralto), in addition to Cor de Cambra of Palau de la Música Catalana, and tenor José Manuel Zapata, who will lead the programme Concerto for Zapata and Orchestra in February 2020.

The season also includes other artists who are already familiar to the public of Tenerife like Fernando García-Campero (bass), Raquel Lojendio (soprano), Coro de Voces Blancas de Conservatorio Profesional de Música, conducted by Juan Ramón Vinagre, or the orchestra’s musicians: Raúl Mirás (cello), Sviatoslav Belonogov (viola) and percussionists Francisco Díaz Martín, Emilio Díaz Martín, Carlos Llácer Cantó and Juan Antonio Miñana Osca. 

New conductors to lead Sinfónica de Tenerife for the first time include Gergerly Madaras, Alexander Shelley, Eivind Gullberg Jensen, Daniel Bjarnason and Chloé van Soeterstède, in addition to stage manager Alexander Medem, and didactic director François López-Ferrer. Antonio Méndez will conduct eight of the 19 programmes and honorary conductor Víctor Pablo Pérez will be leading three concerts. Guillermo García Calvo meets once more with the Cabildo’s orchestra in a programme in collaboration with Escuela de Actores de Canarias [Canary Islands Drama School].

Apart from the 19 season concerts, Sinfónica de Tenerife’ activities also include a wide catalogue of concerts to bring music closer to the Island’s residents; taking part in Ópera de Tenerife, in Festival de Música de Canarias or Fimucité; didactic concerts for children and families; participating in extraordinary programmes in the town of La Laguna in Plaza del Cristo or the Cathedral, and at Christmas, in collaboration with the Port Authorities; playing in events included in Ciclo de Cámara de Tenerife [Chamber Music series] and their usual presence in hospitals or socio-health centres. All these events amount to more than one hundred throughout the season and reach thousands of spectators.

Flexible subscriptions

The aim of bringing live music to as many people as possible is once again the  philosophy that rules the subscription system of Sinfónica de Tenerife. Like last year, apart from the subscription for the whole season, subscriptions for 10, 4 and 3 concerts will also be available. The commitment of the Cabildo’s orchestra with young people translates into offering them the chance to enjoy the full season por just 20 euros. Also, users of the TEN+ card will have a 70% discount. In addition, discounts and bonuses will be available this year to reward the commitment and loyalty of orchestra’s subscribers, as well as promotions for companies and discounts for large families.

Current subscribers can renew their subscriptions from Monday, 6th May at Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín. Non-subscribers can purchase their tickets from 3 June on. Standard tickets for all the concerts will be on sale from 7 September. Please see all the subscriptions, deadlines, advantages and special prices on www.sinfonicadetenerife.es.