Free live music and stuff in Las Palmas, December 2025

Before reporting on what we’ve seen in December, let me tell you what we haven’t. That’s right, it was Christmas lights switch-on on 4 December. When we arrived somewhere close to Plaza de Santa Ana, we realised that we can’t get there because of the bloody barriers. It was supposed to be a family-friendly event but from what we could see, all the seats were taken mostly by adults. After circling the place clock- and then counterclockwise, we went home to read some indignant comments in social networks.

And then a great number of outdoorsy activities were cancelled thanks to Storm Emilia. Oh well.

On the other hand, I’ve been to three pretty good Christmas concerts in local churches which I probably wouldn’t attend if we haven’t moved to Isleta.

• 6 December: Concierto de Navidad @ Parroquia de Santa María del Pino, Calle Ruiz de Alda, 7, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria^†
  A concert of La Banda de música Barahona conducted by Zoraida Hernández Almeida. The programme included:
  • Mulan (Matthew Wilder, arr. Johnnie Vinson)
  • Selections from Moana (Lin-Manuel Miranda, arr. Jay Bocook)
  • Arabian Dances (Roland Barrett)
  • Hercules (Alan Menken)
  • Christmas in Mexico (traditional, arr. Michael Story)
  • Ukrainian Bell Carol (Mykola Leontovych, arr. Richard L. Saucedo)
  • Fantasy on a Burgundian Carol (traditional, arr. Michael Story)
  • A Holly Jolly Christmas Medley (arr. Stefan Schwalgin)
• 10 December: Performance colectiva «Rojo Descolonial» @ Casa de Colón, Calle Colón, 1
  This collective performance was the culmination of Rojo descolonial. Doscientos años de grana en Canarias, a project by the Mexican artist Gloria Godínez.

  

• 16 December: «Los Reyes siguen l’estrella. La Natividad en la tradición musical hispánica» @ Casa de Colón
  Las Hespérides feauturing Magdalena Padilla (soprano), David Batista (countertenor) and Carlos Oramas (vihuela). The programme included:

  Luys Milán: Fantasía del Quarto Tono* Tomás Luis de Victoria: O magnum mysterium Tomás Luis de Victoria: Ne timeas Maria Diego Pisador: Dezidle al caballero* Francisco Guerrero: Puer natus est Vincenzo Capirola: Ricercar ottava* Anonymous (from Cancionero de Upsala): Dadme albricias Anonymous (from Cancionero de Upsala): Gózate, Virgen Sagrada Anonymous (from Cancionero de Upsala): No la devemos dormir Francisco Guerrero: La Tierra s’está gozando Francisco Guerrero: Pastor, quien madre virgen Francisco Guerrero: Los Reyes siguen l’estrella Francisco Guerrero: Niño Dios d'amor herido Francisco Guerrero: Vamos al portal Luys de Narváez: Fantasía del quarto tono* Mateo Flecha “El Viejo”: Dindirindin

  

• 18 December: Concierto de Navidad de la Unidad de Música del Mando Aéreo de Canarias @ Plaza de Santa Ana
  The band of the Canary Islands Air Command braved the elements to deliver a delightful Christmas concert. The highlights included themes from Cinema Paradiso and Skyfall, Street Tango, A Night in Tunisia and Nutcracker Swing.

  

• 19 December: Recital Lírico de Navidad @ Parroquia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Calle Benartemi, 46^†
  With Inna Saavedra (soprano), Sun Park (organ), Cristina Gimeno Pérez (oboe) and Néstor Henríquez Domínguez (violin). The programme included:

  Franz Schubert: Ave Maria Johann Sebastian Bach: Magnificat Antonio Vivaldi: Gloria Johannes Brahms: Wiegenlied Georg Friedrich Händel: Lascia ch’io pianga César Franck: Panis angelicus Franz Schubert: Mille cherubini in coro John Francis Wade: Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful) Georg Friedrich Händel: Messiah Vladimir Vavilov: Ave Maria (misattributed to Giulio Caccini) Irving Berlin: White Christmas* Franz Xaver Gruber: Stille Nacht Adolphe Adam: Cantique de Noël Encore: James Lord Pierpont: Jingle Bells*

• 28 December: Concierto de Navidad @ Parroquia Nuestra Señora de la Luz, Calle Pérez Muñoz, 4^†
  A concert of La Banda Juvenil de Firgas (postponed from 7 December). The highlights were pasodoble Música y Vinos by Manuel Morales Martínez, a Pixar medley (including the theme from The Incredibles), and Jingle Bell Rock (encore).

And exhibitions:

• 12 November 2025 — 1 March 2026: «El original multiplicado» @ Casa de Colón
  Engravings from the collection of Cabildo de Gran Canaria, including works by Rembrandt, Goya, Picasso, Chillida, Chirino and Lola Massieu.

  

• 4 December 2025 — 6 January 2026: Elia Verona @ Bar Tenesor, Calle Rosarito, 2
  Engravings by Elia Verona in a friendly bar environment.
• 11 December 2025 — 9 January 2026: «Objetópolis: Atlas de invenciones poéticas» @ Centro de Artes Plásticas (CAP), Calle Colón, 8
  Impossible art by Irene León.

  

Happy New Year, everybody.

*	Instrumental.
†	This concert was part of the cycle Sueña la Navidad en tu barrio (District Isleta-Puerto-Guanarteme).

Queen Symphony in Las Palmas

I hever heard about Tolga Kashif’s magnum opus, Queen Symphony (2002), until the concert of GCWO earlier this year. And there you go, two months later they’re back to Auditorio Alfredo Kraus together with the Choir and the Children’s Choir of Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria. Timur and I went to see the show. (Tamara excused herself saying that “It won’t be real Queen anyway”.)

As symphonies go, this is on a longer side, about one hour. It is as epic as one would expect, to the degree that at times I wished it was less so. Who Wants To Live Forever appears in three movements. The first time, in the third movement, as a beautiful interplay of violin (Preslav Ganev) and cello (Marisa Roda). It comes back in the fifth movement and lasts, well, forever (or so I thought). Then, when you’d think you’ll never want to hear it again, it is reprised in the final movement.

Gran Canaria’s Women Band live

Women sing.
Women dance.
Women play harp.
They also play piano.

According to Lise Karin Meling, “The foundations for which instruments women and men should play are laid already in the Middle Ages”. The flute, the violin, the oboe the horn, the cello, the double bass, the bassoon, and the trumpet all were considered unsuitable for women. And guess what, they still are. Can you name any female bassist/drummer/saxophonist/trombonist/trumpeter? I can, but all of them are jazz players, and also are exceptions, for jazz remains a men’s world. And what about women conductors?

Yesterday, Timur and I went to see this all in the shape of the Gran Canaria’s Women Band in the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus.

GCWB was founded in 2016 by Pilar Rodríguez and consists of fifty Canarian women. According to La Provincia, this is the first all-female symphony orchestra in Canarias (and second in Spain). In fact, just like Gran Canaria Wind Orchestra, GCWB is a concert band: no violins or violas (and a good thing too), just one cello and two double basses. Also, neither piano nor harp. But plenty of percussion, including a drumkit.

It was an interesting and varied programme, starting with world permière of Atman by Canarian composer Nisamar Díaz. I liked Second Suite for Band by Alfred Reed and Ruckus by Randall Standridge the most. In my view, there was not enough chemistry between the guest vocalist Eli Guillén and the band during the first two songs. The choir Coral Chelys Odalys, directed by Maite Robaina, came to the rescue. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You sung by Eli and a choir was a success. And then there were encores: a paso doble (I don’t know the name) and I Will Survive!

It looked like the show was sold out: I bought the tickets on Thursday and there was just a handful of seats left. Now how great could it be if the band could perform not just once a year, to celebrate the International Women’s Day...

Unfortunately, the programme booklet does not list the musicians of GCWB. Also, for a few songs, they credited the arrangers but not the composers.

Gran Canaria’s Women Band

Musical director: Pilar Rodríguez Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Sunday, 4 March 2018, 12:00 Part I

• Nisamar Díaz (Gran Canaria, 1980)
  Atman (world première)
• Steven Reineke (Tipp City, Ohio, 1970)
  Main Street Calebration
• James L. Hosay (Nashville, Tennessee, 1959)
  Persis
• Alfred Reed (New York, 1921 — Miami, 2005)
  Second Suite for Band (Latino Mexicana) (1978)
  1. Son Montuno
  2. Tango
  3. Guaracha
  4. Paso Doble

Part II

• Randall D. Standridge (Little Rock, Arkansas, 1976)
  Ruckus
• Justin Hurwitz (Los Angeles, California, 1985), arranged by Michael Brown
  Highlights from La La Land
Mecano, de Germán Arias
• Germán Arias
  Mecano
  Eli Guillén: vocal
  
• Arr. by Frank Bernaerts
  What I’m Feeling
  Eli Guillén: vocal
  Coral Chelys Odalys
• Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio, arr. by Johan de Meij
  Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
  Eli Guillén: vocal
  Coral Chelys Odalys
• Franck Pourcel, Paul Mauriat, Norman Gimbel, arr. by Jan van Kraeydonck
  I Will Follow Him
  Coral Chelys Odalys

Pasión Española

I only learned about this concert a few days ago. I did not even know that we have a wind orchestra (aka concert band) in Canarias. Wind orchestra is basically a symphony orchestra without the string section, save for double bass. GCWO were formed in 2014 and played their anaugural concert three years ago, also in the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, in February 2015. Nor did I know any of the composers in the program apart from Isaac Albéniz. The new works of Valencian composer Luis Serrano Alarcón were performed for the first time in Canarias. So, a few discoveries in store for me.