The Dance Group of the Universitat de València performed ‘Elionor de Villena’, a production directed by the choreographer Toni Aparisi. This performance addresses the life and work of Isabel de Villena through poetical dance and music to emphasise her figure: her feminist fight in literature and the Church. The seven dancers performing are: Vianna Asencio, Nicole Victoria Zurita, Rosa Collado, Marta Chust, Carmen Comes, Nuria Ferri and Flora Dickie, accompanied by the music of the Capella de Ministrers Academy, with the sopranos Carmina Sánchez and Rosa García, harpist Juliette Commeaux, and violist and symphonist Julia Chiner. The night before, the magical San Juan night, was also enlivened by this show lead by women. It was totally successful among the university community and played full houses in the university senate with the music of a show that transports the public to the Middle Ages.

“Many people describe Isabel de Villena as a proto-feminist, a woman ahead of her time who rebutted the Christian perception of women as sources of sin through her work Vita Christi”, explains Toni Aparisi, director of the Dance Group of the Universitat de València. The choreographer, based on Villena's biography and work, has created a kind of world in which the ideas that vindicate the difficulty of being a woman in those times and in the present day are expressed. The show, which contains choreographies created by Aparisi, “deals with Villena’s fight for recognition as an independent thinker through costumes that remind of the garments worn by Villena in the convent where she wrote this work and through a stage design halfway between the medieval and the renaissance style.”

“Opening the festival with a university proposal was very important for me and for the student dancers, not only for the historic framework of the La Nau Cultural Centre, but also for the history of the Serenades Festival. All these components make it an honour to be able to perform our work in the cloister, with the sculpture of Lluís Vives looking at us”, concludes Toni Aparisi.

The Dance Group of the Universitat de València was created in the academic year 2017-2018 and is currently directed by the performer, choreographer and contemporary dance theatre director Toni Aparisi. With a great education on dramatic art, performance, contemporary dance and martial arts, Aparisi has been awarded with several prizes during his career, including three Max prizes: Best Performer for ‘Alma’ (2007), Best Performer for ‘Pinoxxio’ (2016) and Best Choreography for ‘Pinoxxio’, together with Rosángeles Valls (2016). Aparisi has also won four Abril Awards for best male dance performer and several awards for best dancer at the Valencian Performing Arts Awards and other competitions.

Capella de Ministrers channels its pedagogical dimension with Academia CdM, an artistic project in the line of experimentation around new proposals of reinterpreting the past with historical criteria (Historically Informed Performance).

Most of the concerts of the Serenades Festival (#Serenates2022) will be held at 10 PM at the cloister of La Nau, and tickets can be purchased at http://www.latenda.es/entrades with a symbolic price of 3 euros.

The initiative co-produced by the Universitat de València and the Valencian Institute of Culture has had overwhelming success throughout its history and is developed in conjunction with the Valencian Provincial Council, Valencia’s City Hall through the Palau de la Música de València, the Valencian Provincial Council, the Banco Sabadell Foundation, the Bancaja Foundation, the College of Art and Design of Valencia (EASD) and the Women’s Legacy project.

10 concerts

On Saturday, June 25th, the Capella de Ministrers performed ‘El collar de la Paloma’ (The Ring of the Dove) a work based on the book of the same name by the Andalusian humanist, poet and writer Ibn Hazm (Córdoba, 994 - Montija, 1064) considered one of the most outstanding authors in Arabic literature. The formation celebrates the 1,000 years of the work with this new concert.

On Sunday 26th there were two performances. At 12 PM, with free entrance full capacity is reached, Tymbals Dipercusión filled La Nau with music. This project is dedicated to people with functional and intellectual diversity to improve their quality of life. At night at 10 PM, the Universitat de València's Choral Society performed a celebration concert for the 75th anniversary of the group. Orlando Consort, one of the most outstanding vocal groups on the international scene in the performance of Renaissance music, participated in the concert.

On Monday, June 27th, the Orquestra Filharmònica of the Universitat de València will discover the sounds of the jazz genre. With the suggestive title ‘Strings&Jazz’ the orchestra will share the stage of this concert with David Pastor, one of the most renowned Valencian musicians who has travelled the world developing jazz techniques. The voice of the trumpet will be the protagonist of the evening. Together with the rhythm of the drums, the depth of the bass and the virtuosity of the piano, will play the most symbolic pieces of this genre.

On Tuesday, June 28th, the Dómisol Sisters will perform ‘Dancing with Dómisol Sisters’, a tribute to the great nights in the ballrooms of the United States in the 30s and 40s. Dómisol Sisters was created in València in 2011 with the intention of recreating, with their own arrangements, the rhythms and melodies of the United States during the 30s, 40s and 50s. Their performances are characterised by the dynamism and the optimistic and fun energy that transports you into the swing era. Before the concert, at 7 PM at the Matilde Salvador room of La Nau, there will be a free lindy hop workshop with a capacity of 70 seats for the people who have purchased tickets for the evening’s performance.

On Wednesday, June 29th, flautist Amalia Tortajada and guitarist Andrea González will take the ‘Identidade: Women and Art’ project to the concert. Identidade is an inspiring project where women from different cultural backgrounds and artistic areas come together to collaborate and show a joint work.

The Orchestra of València, alongside the Choir of the Valencian Government, will be at La Nau on Thursday, June 30th, to release ‘Rapsodia Bocairentina’, conducted by its author, Jaume Santonja. Additionally, he will conduct ‘Marinada, ballet sinfónico para soprano y orquesta’ (Marinada, symphonic ballet for soprano and orchestra) by Vicent Garcés and text by Joan Fuster, specially programmed for its centenary. The concert, which is free and whose invitations may be withdrawn 72 hours beforehand, will finish with the joint performance of the Choir of the Valencian Government and the Orchestra of València, who will premiere the work ‘Terra en la boca’ (Dirt in the mouth) by Voro García.

'Canción Olvidada' (Forgotten song) is the tile of the show that will be held on Friday, July 1st. A production by Eidos Ensemble, which was created in 2014 with the dual purpose of uniting cultures and reclaiming forgotten musical repertoires with special attention to compositions written by women from the 18th century to the present day. During 60 minutes, the audience will enjoy interviews, performances and many surprises in the radio programme presented by Lara Salvador, with live interventions by Eidos Ensemble performing songs by the four main musicians: Pauline Viardot, Maria Malibran, Maria Matilde Alea, and composer Matilde Salvador.

Finally, the closure of the festival on July 2nd will be in charge of Sole Giménez, who will perform 'Mujeres de Música' (Women of Music), a project that vindicates the role of creative women who made their way in the difficult path of music and many others who, years later, took up the baton to widen the margin for music made by women. This work is made up of two albums and one tour including songs from different countries and styles, but with a common nexus: the creative woman, the female talent, historically reviled and even silenced.

Over the years, many works have been premiered or recovered after centuries of oblivion in the various Valencian music archives as part of the Serenades. Furthermore, many Valencian groups have made their artistic debut on this stage, which promotes the visibility of the youngest talents.