Month-long tribute to Zarzuela at Instituto Cervantes, UST

Instituto Cervantes, the Embassy of Spain, and the University of Santo Tomas, present a month-long cultural program highlighting the shared legacy of zarzuela in the Philippines. 

From August 1 to 28, a cultural celebration featuring weekly zarzuela screenings, an immersive zarzuela workshop, and a Zarzuela recital will take place in the Instituto Cervantes in Intramuros and the University of Santo Tomas.

The Zarzuela, considered to be one of the most treasured forms of art in the Spanish-speaking world, also happens to be the most popular cultural product in the Philippines for decades in history. It is the musical genre that truly left its mark in the history of the Philippine theater, as said in the timeless words of Nick Joaquin, “Certainly, in no other art form, whether in English, Spanish, or Tagalog, has the Filipino shown himself so much at home; and in no other, since then, has he been able to establish such close rapport with the people."

Entitled "Zarzuela Viva", this month-long event will feature a weekly screening of zarzuelas throughout August.  The series opens on August 1 at 3:00 p.m. with the screening of the documentary Tiempo de Zarzuela by Cristina Otero Roth at the Intramuros branch of Instituto Cervantes.  On August 7, also at 3:00 p.m. at the same venue, audiences can enjoy a production by Teatro de la Zarzuela of the classic La del manojo de rosas by Pablo Sorozábal.

The third installment in the series will be a screening of Alfredo Sanzol’s production of El barberillo de Lavapiés by Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, scheduled for August 14. The final screening will feature El sobre verde by Jacinto Guerrero on August 28. These last two screenings will take place at 3:00 p.m. at the Central Laboratory Auditorium of the University of Santo Tomas (UST).

Presented as the highlight of "Zarzuela Viva", from August 18 to 2022, a 4-day Zarzuela Workshop will be conducted by Spanish pianist Ramón Grau from Teatro de La Zarzuela in Madrid. The workshop will be held at the Conservatory of Music of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila (UST) and is addressed to advanced students of music. Those interested in joining the workshop can reserve a spot by submitting their CV to cultmni@cervantes.es. 

On August 26, as a result of the Zarzuela workshop led by pianist Ramón Grau, he and the participants will present Zarzuela-Sarswela, a concert featuring a selection of pieces from the classic Spanish zarzuelas El barberillo de Lavapiés and La del manojo de rosas from the screening, alongside works from Philippine sarswelas. The recital will be held at the Education Auditorium (4F Albertus Magnus Building), UST.  This event is open to everyone, but attendees and participants are encouraged to register early through this link: https://forms.office.com/e/gqQYWUHzSb

"Zarzuela Viva" is organized by Instituto Cervantes de Manila in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines, AECID, the Conservatory of Music of UST, Teatro de La Zarzuela, and Intramuros Administration.

For more information about "Zarzuela Viva", visit Instituto Cervantes' website at www.manila.cervantes.es, or follow it on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila/