Free live music in Las Palmas, July 2025

This is what we’ve seen this month.

• 2 July: Carlos Meneses Quartet «Collabs» @ Palacete Rodríguez Quegles, Calle Benito Pérez Galdós, 4, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
  Yul Ballesteros (guitar), Dani González (drums), Carlos Meneses (double bass) and Kike Perdomo (saxophones).

  

• 3 July: Barrios Orquestados @ Biblioteca Pública Municipal Josefina de la Torre, Paseo de las Canteras
  Nice to see Barrios Orquestados still alive and getting stronger.

  

• 5 July: Sofar concert @ Biblioteca Pública del Estado, Calle Muelle de Las Palmas
  With Salomé Moreno, Manu Echeva and Said Muti.
• 10 July: «Personajes de la historia» @ Plaza del Pilar Nuevo
  Meet Samson and Delilah, Caesar and Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, Ferdinand Magellan and Anne Frank — thanks to La Banda Sinfónica Municipal de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria conducted by Juan Roda Sapiña. The programme included:
  • Giuseppe Verdi: Giovanna d'Arco
  • Gerard Boedijn: Caesar and Cleopatra Ouverture
  • Otto M. Schwarz: The Story of Anne Frank
  • Louis-Philippe Laurendeau (based on music by Camille Saint-Saëns): Samson et Dalila
  • Ferrer Ferran: Magallanes

  

• 11 July: Andrea Báez @ Casa de Colón, Calle Colón, 1
  Canarian cantautora presenting songs from her forthcoming album.

  

• 15 July: El Afecto Ilustrado «Britannia. Inglaterra 1650» @ Casa de Colón
  English chamber music of the 17^th century interpreted by Adrián Linares (violin), Laura Díaz (violin), Melchor García (viola), Diego Pérez (cello) and Carlos Oramas (theorbo). The programme included:
  • John Blow: Venus and Adonis
  • Henry Purcell: Trio Sonata in D major, No. 12, Z. 801
  • Giovanni Legrenzi: Trio Sonata “La Cornara”
  • Henry Purcell: Trio Sonata in G minor, No. 1, Z. 790
  • Giovanni Battista Vitali: Trio Sonata No. 3 in E Minor, Op. 2
  • Nicola Matteis: Ayres for the Violin
  • Henry Purcell: Abdelazer; or, The Moor’s Revenge suite, Z. 570

  

• 16 July: Krzysztof Kobyliński @ Casa de Colón
  Krzysztof Kobyliński (solo piano). This concert was a part of 34^th Canary Islands Jazz Festival.

  

• 24 July: Joven CanariJazz Big Band & Zuco 103 @ Plaza de Santa Ana
  Joven CanariJazz Big Band led by José Vera Bello, featuring vocalists María Zerpa, Gabriela Suárez, Vanesa Lemoine and Carlota Baldó, plus guest Rayko León on piano. Zuco 103 sounded interesting but as they started later than (I) expected, I didn’t stay for long.
• 25 July: Kennedy Administration & Patax @ Plaza de Santa Ana
  It was great to see Patax once again — nine years later! — at Plaza de Santa Ana. As for Kennedy Administration: I loved the band sound but find the singer (named Kennedy) overly intrusive.
• 26 July: «Versalles en Las Palmas» @ Casa de Colón
  Vocal and instrumental compositions of French Baroque, as could have been heard at the royal court of Versailles. Performed by the teachers of the 3^rd International Course of Early Music (III Curso Internacional de Música Antigua en Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 21—25 July 2025): Olalla Alemán (soprano), Patricia Robaina (harpsichord) and María Alejandra Saturno (viola da gamba). The programme included:
  • Marin Marais: Fantasie
  • Marin Marais: Grand Ballet
  • Michel Lambert: Ombre de mon amant
  • Michel Lambert: Goûtons un doux repos
  • Jean-Henri d’Anglebert: Prélude
  • Jean-Henri d’Anglebert: Pasacaille
  • Marin Marais: Les voix humaines
  • François Couperin: Leçons de ténèbres, Seconde Leçon
  • Marin Marais: Couplets de Folies
  • Henri de Bailly: Yo soy la locura

  

• 26 July: Luis Sánchez Quintet @ Plaza de Santa Ana
  Later the same evening: Luis Sánchez (piano) with José Vera Bello (sax), Gaspar Nogales (double bass), Rubén Bueno (drums) and Kervin Barreto (trumpet).

And that was it for July.

Five short films

by Alán González

Screened this Monday in Casa de Colón as a part of the cycle «Miradas audiovisuales. Pensar y comprender América». Presented by the director himself and followed by a colloquium, but I did not stay.

La profesora de inglés (2015)

Written and directed by Alán González. Starring Coralia Veloz, Héctor Echemendía and Roque Moreno.

El hormiguero (2017)

Written and directed by Alán González. Starring Grisell Monzón, Marybel García Garzón, Carlos Peña and Reynier Morales. Watch here.

Los amantes (2019)

Screenplay by Nuri Duarte and Alán González. Directed by Alán González. Starring Lola Amores and Noslén Sánchez.

La muchacha de los pájaros (2021)

Screenplay by Nuri Duarte and Alán González. Directed by Alán González. Starring Arlettis González, Omar Rolando González and Maggie Mateo.

Azul Pandora (2024)

Screenplay by Nuri Duarte. Directed by Alán González. Starring Lady Chiv, Mateo Menéndez, Eduardo Martínez and Yaité Ruiz.

Umiko

by Mónica Rodríguez
illustrated by Daniel Piqueras Fisk

A few months ago, I saw it in the bookshop. Maybe it was put on display because it won the 2024 National Prize for Children’s and Young Adult Literature. I leafed through it, read the blurb — about a modern Japanese girl who wants to become an ama — got interested and... asked our library to purchase it. To my great surprise, thay actually did it, and even phoned me when the book arrived.

I liked the story and loved the drawings.

Love Lies Bleeding

a film by Rose Glass

Time: the news of the fall of the Berlin Wall are on the telly. Place: in the middle of nowhere. Well, somewhere in New Mexico, which is the same thing.

Starring Kristen Stewart, Katy O’Brian and Ed Harris, this Tarantinesque neo-noir thriller / Western / black comedy has got everything: lesbian romance, gruesome murders, bodybuilding competition in Las Vegas, you name it. Also, a couple of the most gross scenes I wish to unsee. All in all, pretty good stuff. Shame about the title though: couldn’t they think of something more unique? I prefer the Spanish Sangre en los labios, as corny as it is.

Love Lies Bleeding was shown as a part of the cycle Diversidad, Igualdad y Cultura by Filmoteca Canaria.

Free live music in Las Palmas, June 2025

This is what we’ve seen in June. Sketches by Tamara.

• 7 June: El Quinteto: «Un viaje musical inolvidable» @ Auditorio José Antonio Ramos, Parque Doramas, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
  From son and boleros to landó, tango, fado, Canarian folklore and back. Featuring Fernando García (drums, percussion), Francisco García (flutes), Candelaria González (vocals), Héctor González (vocals, guitar, cuatro) and Ruimán Martín (double bass).

  

• 11 June: Julia Rodríguez «Hacia la vida» @ Palacete Rodríguez Quegles, Calle Benito Pérez Galdós, 4
  Julia Rodríguez (vocals, guitar, timple, cuatro), a singer-sogwriter from Fuerteventura now based in Barcelona, accompanied by Franco Contreras (bass), Nuria Herrero (percussion) and Daniel Morales (guitar, tres).

  

• 14 June: Madama Butterfly @ Plaza del Tenor Stagno
  This year’s «Ópera para todos» was Puccini’s classic, featuring Hrachuhí Bassénz as Madama Butterfly, Giorgio Berrugi as Pinkerton, Pietro Spagnoli as Sharpless, Caterina Piva as Suzuki, Jorge Rodríguez-Norton as Goro, Isaac Galán as the Imperial Commissioner, Marina díaz as Kate Pinkerton, Julián Padilla as the Bonze and Manuel García as Prince Yamadori. Music director: Francesco Ivan Ciampa. Stage director: Carlo Antonio de Lucia. Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria and Coro del Festival de Ópera directed by Olga Santana.

  

• 20 June: Morgane Ji @ Plaza de la Música, Avenida Roberto Clemente Benijófar (next to Auditorio Alfredo Kraus)
  Six years later, Morgane Ji (lead vocals, banjo) returns to Las Palmas, with E.r.k. (guitar), Emeline Fougeray (bass guitar) and Michaël Frideloux (drums). What a show!

  

• 21 June: «Música en el corazón de Vegueta» @ Vegueta, various locations
  We went to see La Local Jazz Band feat. Miguel Ramírez (sax), Miqui Delgado (piano), Kervin Barreto (trumpet), Suso Vega (drums) and Abraham Ramos (double bass) in Casa de Colón and Yone Rodríguez Trio feat. Yone Rodríguez (timple), Néstor García (guitar) and Tana Santana (double bass) in Patio de los Naranjos.

  

Bring on July.