For three days, some of Granada’s most emblematic historic venues will become stages for a new generation of musicians. From 3 to 5 September, the city will host the first edition of Neorama, a festival created to give visibility to emerging musical talent from different parts of Spain.
Driven by the Confederation of Youth Musical Societies of Spain (JME) to mark its 75th anniversary, Neorama has been launched with the aim of connecting the training of young musicians with their entry into the professional sector. The organisers present it as the first touring, nationwide festival devoted specifically to emerging musical talent.
This first edition will bring together 40 concerts and 500 young participants, including 325 musicians and artists who will perform across the different stages. Music will fill venues such as the Generalife Theatre, the Manuel de Falla Auditorium, the Carmen de los Mártires, the Rodríguez-Acosta Foundation, the Plaza de los Aljibes and the courtyard of the City Hall.
The programme will not be dominated by a single genre. There will be flamenco, rock, jazz, classical, early and symphonic music, electronic, indie, punk, pop and folk, with performers coming from different parts of Spain.
“For three days Granada will be buzzing with music of every kind”, said the Andalusian regional culture minister, Patricia del Pozo, at the festival’s launch. Del Pozo stressed that the young performers will appear in venues “of great historic and artistic value” and that the event aims to serve as “a springboard towards their professional careers”.
From Galicia to Ceuta: 11 emerging projects
Among the 11 emerging artists and ensembles selected are very different propositions: Musikene Big Band, from the Basque Country; urban music artist Julia Cry, from Murcia; Liceu BLAM Collective, from Catalonia; Mühlfeld Ensemble, from Andalusia; Perímetro, from Melilla; Alana, from Galicia; Blung, from Ceuta; Naked Eva, from Castile and León; and Pitxorines, from the Balearic Islands, among others.
The different regions will be represented by musical projects that will give two performances and can compete for several awards. The aim is for Neorama to be not just a succession of concerts, but also a platform bringing young musicians closer to institutions, festivals and industry professionals.
The Alhambra, one of the main stages
One of the key moments will come on the night of 3 September at the Generalife Theatre, where the JM World Orchestra will perform together with the Granada Opera Chorus under the baton of David Fernández Caravaca. The programme will also include a performance of ‘Noches en los jardines de España’ by Manuel de Falla, with pianist Susana Gómez, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth.
The Orquesta Joven de Andalucía (OJA) will also have a prominent presence, with five chamber music concerts featuring 17 of its members. The young musicians will perform works by composers such as Mozart, Brahms, Dvořák, Ravel, Turina, Toldrà and Elizabeth Maconchy in venues including the Corral del Carbón, the Carmen de los Porcel, the Carmen de los Mártires, the Rodríguez-Acosta Foundation and Torres Bermejas.
The festival will conclude on 5 September at the Generalife Theatre with SuperArte, a show bringing together musicians from the Joven Orquesta Sinfónica de Granada and artists with different disabilities from the SIFU Foundation, under the direction of Oriol Saña. Inclusion and accessibility are two of the pillars the organisers want to place at the heart of the project.
Beyond the concerts
Neorama also includes meetings and workshops on issues that directly affect those trying to make their way in music, such as professionalisation, equality, artificial intelligence, innovation, accessibility, education, entrepreneurship and the Artist’s Statute.
The programme of activities will feature debates on the opportunities for the circulation of young talent, the role of women in music and the transformation that artificial intelligence is bringing to the sector. All the activities are free of charge, although tickets must be reserved in advance due to capacity limits.
With this first edition, Neorama hopes to establish itself as a platform where musicians who are still taking their first professional steps can perform for new audiences, engage with the industry and connect with other young artists from different parts of Spain. As the organisers sum it up, the aim is to create “a territorial meeting point that connects career paths with young people taking the lead”.