65 International Festival of Music and Dance of Granada

This is reflected not only in the programmes and their contents, but also in the way in which these activities are presented to audiences.

Emotion expressed in artistic offerings of outstanding quality; emotion in the enjoyment of the most beautiful and original spaces in Granada and its province;emotion in the discovery of what Granada has to offer in the way of unique experiences in cultural tourism which each year are discovered by more people from every corner of Spain and abroad; emotion and satisfaction in the realisation that, for a few weeks, the Granada Festival becomes a real motor of the city’s economy on account of the thousands of artists, orchestras, companies and visitors who arrive specifically to attend this feast of the senses.

The Nazrid palaces and centennial gardens of the Alhambra in Granada are this Festival’s most impressive sign of identity and a unique setting for its performances. At the beginning of summer hundreds of spectators enjoy the music and the dance, infused by the aroma of the lush vegetation of the gardens of the Alhambra and under the impact of the amazing Nazrid, renaissance and romantic architecture which has made of Granada the so-called Gateway to the South.

And side-by-side with the performances that take place in the Alhambra there is a broad mosaic of artistic events which extends throughout Granada and its province and is available for public enjoyment: this is the FEX which represents the extension of the Festival throughout the city and the province of Granada. The most spectacularly monumental sights of the city (the Cathedral, the Royal Chapel, the Monastery of San Jeronimo, the Sacromonte Abbey, the Carthusian Monastery, the Royal Chancellery, the Casa de Castril, the Casa de los Tiros and the churches), together with the contemporary buildings, the many squares and street corners make the Festival a popular event enjoyed by thousands; audience numbers are increased by visitors and tourists who come to Granada specially for the Festival. And Granada is not only the city but also the province. The province includes more than ten municipalities which every year make a contribution to this cultural fiesta with programmes which are also offered in the most suitable and unique venues.

This wonderful environment also involves a clearly defined educational and training aspect. After forty one years since its creation, the Manuel de Falla International Courses have become a very special vehicle for high-level training. Each year hundreds of young people attend these courses which cover a wide variety of disciplines in the fields of composition, research, music interpretation, stage photography, dance and workshops on the arts and disabilities. All the Manuel de Falla Courses include academic and practical training and an exhibition of activities. All these workshops, performances by teachers and pupils, stage performances, exhibitions and publications are part of the day-to-day activities of the Festival.

The social mission of the Festival has covered a variety of aspects over the years: it has championed the guarantee of accessibility and equal opportunities for all, it has set special prices for young people and pensioners, it has organised programmes of specific cycles for children and adolescents: it has included didactic-family programmes and special cycles devoted to the physically and mentally disabled. The Festival has also arranged activities for sectors of the population at risk from social exclusion, participatory programmes, the promotion of young talent, etc.

As an example of collaboration and shared social responsibility with the Festival, many institutions, businesses, organisations, patrons and collaborators, at local, national and international levels, take part in the Festival’s activities each year and many of them schedule magnificent exhibitions and a variety of activities to coincide with the Festival’s dates.

We hope that you will take part in these activities in the Alhambra’s palaces and the gardens, at the century-old sights of historic Granada and in the modern city too.