Music, theater, and novels are the highlights of the Instituto Cervantes’ 2025 Cervantes Week

The Diplomat The Instituto Cervantes has designed a cultural program for Cervantes Week 2025, featuring a meeting with musicians such as Zahara and Santi Balmes and the deposit, in the Caja de las Letras, of the legacy of Spanish novelist Ángel María de Lera. Cervantes Week begins this Tuesday in the auditorium of the Instituto Cervantes with the presentation of the project "The Best Lyrics in Spanish," in which six Spanish-speaking artists will present their favorite lyrics of all time. At the event, Mexican writer Juan Villoro will discuss the lyrics, and artists Zahara and Santi Balmes, moderated by journalist Arturo J. Paniagua, will participate in a conversation about the lyrics and songs they have selected. The event will be presented by Luis García Montero, director of the Instituto Cervantes, along with representatives from the Apple Music team. The event will conclude with a musical performance by the group Alcalá Norte. The following day, Wednesday, April 23rd, the lobby of the Institute's headquarters will host a performance by the Carlos III University of Madrid's theater group, "Susurrantes," in which the public will also be able to participate. The "whisperer" will design their own way of transmitting the text to another person based on their own creativity (accompanying it with a gesture or action), and each attendee will be able to listen to several actors in a short space of time and take home different poems. This initiative emerged through the European "Crossing Stages" Project, led by the Carlos III University of Madrid, with the aim of bringing the myths of classical culture to contemporary Europe through the performing arts. Its creator and artistic director is the French-Uruguayan playwright Sergio Blanco. Finally, on Friday, April 25, the Caja de las Letras (Box of Letters) will be opened to receive the legacy of Spanish novelist Ángel María de Lera (1912-1984), founder of the Spanish Writers' Association (ACE), which will be deposited in box 974. The ceremony will be attended by Carmen Noguero, Secretary General of the Instituto Cervantes; Manuel Rico, President of ACE, on behalf of the Writers' Association; Adelaida de Lera, daughter of Ángel María de Lera; and José Esteban, writer and friend of the honoree. This will be followed by a performance of an excerpt from his novel "A Man Is Sold," and pianist, composer, and singer Sheila Blanco will sing three of his poems. All the events of Cervantes Week at the Instituto Cervantes headquarters can be followed live on the Instituto Cervantes website and YouTube channel. In addition, numerous Instituto Cervantes centers—spread across five continents and with a presence in more than 100 cities abroad—will join this program with activities such as workshops, presentations, conferences, and readings.

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