Music takes to the streets to celebrate its day
Open doors at the Museu de la Música, street concerts and activities in civic centres to celebrate International Music Day.
Sing, play an instrument if you know how or, at the very least, follow the rhythm. It's International Music Day (strictly speaking, it's on Friday, 21 June) and the city celebrates it, on the same day or a few days before or after, with a whole host of proposals full of rhythm.
One of the most outstanding events is the one organised by L'Auditori and the old Museu de la Música, which are celebrating World Music Day with a double activity. On the one hand, they are organising an open day at the Museu de la Música, so if you want to see the fabulous collection of instruments they keep here, don't miss the opportunity to visit the rooms of this facility, without reservation, between 10 am and 7 pm on Friday, the 21st.
Among other things, at the Museu de la Música they keep the Indonesian instruments that form part of the typical orchestral formation of that country, the Gamelan. And they have a team of musicians who not only know how to make them sound, but who will give us a good opportunity to feel what they sound like on the 21st at 5.30 p.m. at the Music Museum. This is the Gamelan Barasvara, a long list of musicians, some of them local and others from Indonesia.
On the same day, but at Palau Güell, the Centre Cívic Cotxeres Borrell (registration on their website) is preparing a guided tour of the building on Carrer de Nou de la Rambla. What does it have to do with International Music Day? You'll find out as you walk around the building's spaces, such as the central hall, which has an orgue. Concerts were held there with orchestras, choirs and choir ensembles.
But if you want to visit a civic centre on this day, go to the Centre Cívic Pere Quart, where they organise the concerts Contratemps (18.30 h) and La música a Citerea (19 h) on the 21st. On the same day (19:00; free admission), at the Can Deu Civic Centre, you can listen to Confluències, a work by Jorge Guarín and Paloma Orts for piano and harp. Also in Les Corts, but in this case in different venues (19th, at the Tomasa Cuevas-Les Corts Civic Centre; on the 20th, at the Monestir de Pedralbes and at the Centre Cívic Tomasa Cuevas-Les Corts and at the Jardins de Can Bruixa, among other venues, you will find proposals such as the lyrical music concert A Tempo (Monestir de Pedralbes, 19 June) or the one performed by Les enfants terribles at the Jardins del Clot de Can Salvi on the 20th, at 19:00).
If you want to celebrate the day with a French accent, finally, you have the chance to go to the headquarters of the Institut Francès (free admission by reservation). Inside the building and on the street you will be reminded that the celebration of the International Day of Music was born in France before it spread around the world.
They celebrate the day with a series of concerts on the 20th that start at 11:00 and don't finish until 18:30. As leaders, all of them will be musical groups born at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC).
At 4 p.m., the same ESMUC musicians will be leading a music workshop for children led by Maria Guirado, a student at the school, so don't miss it if you have children aged 0 to 3.
The party at the Institut Francès will end with a look at the newest music (from Catalan party-urban music to blues, pop, hip-hop, ukulele songs and much more). As a final touch, a session of Maghrib and Oriental rhythms by DJ Soumeya, accompanied by percussionist Saad Narjess.
Finally, remember that if you are interested in music as an object of study and personal growth, Barcelona's libraries have collections specialising in different styles. At the Vallcarca i els Penitents - M. Antonieta Cot Library you will find everything about jazz and blues, at the Xavier Benguerel Library you will find soundtracks, and at the Ramon d'Alòs-Moner Library, information about flamenco. Traditional and popular music has a space in the Poblenou - Manuel Arranz Library; world music, in the Sant Pau - Santa Creu Library; opera, in the Clarà and Gòtic - Andreu Nin Libraries; and national pop-rock, in the Fort Pienc Library. If you prefer urban music, don't forget that the Vapor Vell Library specialises in it and, what's more, they have a collection of recordings recorded in Barcelona since the nineteen-eighties that is a little treasure trove of surprises.
If you don't want to miss International Music Day, go out and celebrate it, but first check the different venues for information on the dates.