Today, a new edition of Cantània gets underway at L’Auditori, the flagship project of its ‎Servei Educatiu (Educational Service) that brings together more than 50,000 children across all ‎the participating venues in Catalonia, Spain and Portugal. ‎

With music specially created by Eduard Iniesta based on the poems of Joan Brossa, whose ‎birth centenary we are commemorating this year, and the works of Miquel Desclot, this ‎current edition is entitled A de Brossa. Until 7 June, 28,800 children from 615 ‎schools from all over Catalonia will perform at L’Auditori’s Sala 1 Pau Casals.‎
This year’s story introduces us to Blanca and Bruna, who lead us deeper into the world of the ‎poet Joan Brossa through objects and texts found in some dark archives in the catacombs of ‎a national library. Blanca and Bruna travel to Brossa’s world, which is filled with magic, games ‎and words, thanks to some very special glasses through which they experience a new way of ‎looking at themselves and at life.‎

To immerse us further in the Brossa universe there will also be an exhibition of his object ‎poems and visual poems in the Foyer for the duration of the Cantània event, devised in ‎collaboration with the Joan Brossa Foundation. ‎

As well as at L’Auditori, Cantània will also be taking place in El Vendrell, Figueres, Granollers, ‎Manresa, Mataró, Olot, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Vic, Vilafranca del Penedès, Burgos, Parla, ‎Zaragoza, Valladolid and Guimarães (Portugal).‎

‎Cantània, 30 years of successes‎
This year sees the 30th edition of Cantània. Since its creation during the 1989-1990 academic ‎year, Cantània has taken place in more than 20 cities in 6 countries in both Europe and Latin ‎America. This year, 36 concerts will be held at L’Auditori de Barcelona and it will also be ‎performed in El Vendrell, Figueres, Granollers, Manresa, Mataró, Olot, Sant Cugat, Vic, ‎Vilafranca del Penedès, Cadiz, Parla, Zaragoza, Sevilla, Valladolid, and Guimarães (Portugal).‎

Cantània is a participatory activity aimed at primary school pupils aged from 8 – 12. Each ‎season, Catalan composers and writers of renowned prestige are commissioned to write a ‎new piece for a large chorus of children. It is worked on throughout the entire school year at ‎both L’Auditori and the school. The objective is to organise an activity for pupils which, given ‎its overall characteristics designed exclusively for them, its quality and their individual and ‎collective involvement in it, delivers an unforgettable musical experience for everyone. ‎

‎Production and performers‎
Eduard Iniesta, music
Joan Brossa and Miquel Desclot, poems
Marta Gil, dramatic composition
Elisenda Carrasco, Oriol Castanyer and Montserrat Meneses, musical direction

Musicians:‎
Quim Ramos, Josep Traver, Eduard Iniesta, guitar
Teresa Noguerón, Pau Doménech, Bartolomé Garcia, clarinet
Juan Francisco Bertomeu, Oleguer Bertran, Pepe Reche, French horn
María Perera, Èlia Bastida, Mireia Vila, violin‎
Esther Vila, Lito Iglesias, Marçal Ayats, cello
Cristina Membrive, Manel Fortià, Johannes Nästesjö, double bass
Gregori Ferrer, Arnau Vilà, Gerard Pastor, piano‎
Josep Martí “Pinyu”, Marc Miralta, Àlex Tenes, drums
Carol Alabau, Anna Mateo, Marta Garcia, soprano
Beth Rodergas, Nerea de Miguel, Maria Florensa, contralto

Marta Gil, Ignasi Tomàs and Cristina Martí, stage direction
Pep Prats, musical coordination
Aqua Alba School, Gualba, illustrations
Marta Esteve, teacher