Early Music Morella kicks off with concerts by Jorge García Martín on the Turull organ at the Archpriestal Church of Santa María on Friday, July 17, at 7:30 p.m., and that evening, Capella de Ministrers, conducted by Carles Magraner, will perform at the Convent of Sant Francesc at 10:30 p.m. The renowned organist from Salamanca and the Valencian ensemble—a national and international leader in early music with a 39-year history—will kick off an intense fifteenth edition featuring a total of 14 concerts and numerous activities taking place at various heritage sites throughout the city of Castellón, under the theme “Virtus,” from July 17 to 23.

The opening ceremony of the International Course and Festival of Medieval and Renaissance Music will be presided over by Bernabé Sangüesa, mayor of Morella; Ruth Martínez, councilor for Culture; and Magraner, artistic director of Early Music Morella, at the Municipal Theater on the 17th at 5:30 p.m.

García Martín will present *Facultad Orgánica*, the title of Francisco Correa’s masterful 1626 treatise on the keyboard, which lends its name to the program—a fascinating dialogue between Italian Baroque rhetoric and the organistic mysticism of Spain’s Golden Age. The recital, with free admission until capacity is reached, will culminate with the Sonata and an improvisation, celebrating the organ not only as a liturgical instrument but also as a vehicle for personal expression and technical virtuosity. The Turull Organ (1724), built by the master organ builder after whom it is named, Francisco Turull (Cretas, Teruel 1670 – Morella, 1734), features a mechanical action, consists of 3,645 pipes, and is considered the most important historic organ in the Valencian Community.

Capella de Ministrers will present a candlelit concert featuring *El Conqueridor*, a tribute to King Jaume I (1276–2026) on the 750th anniversary of his death. They will perform *Ad Honorem Virginis*, *Amors i Cansó*, and *Al-hadiqat Al-adai’a*—a troubadour repertoire linked to the Crown of Aragon, sacred music, and Andalusian music from the eastern Taifa kingdoms. A musical anthology that serves as both a perfect history lesson and a captivating musical journey back to the Middle Ages.

For this program, Magraner (violas and conductor) will be joined by soprano Èlia Casanova, Eduard Navarro (bagpipes, shawm, and lute), Robert Cases (lute, citola, and harp), Aziz Samsaoui (kanun and sas), Pau Ballester (percussion), and a choir featuring Álvaro Soto, Jose Vicente Balaguer, Antonio Sabuco, and Daniel Muñoz.

The festival will continue with *El Bureo*, a traditional music and dance event organized by Eduard Navarro that has been bringing together professional and amateur performers, singers, and dancers at every edition of the festival, at Plaza Colón on the 18th at 7:30 p.m. In the evening, the Acadèmia CdM will perform a candlelit concert featuring El Convit and Adriano Banchieri at the Convent of Sant Francesc at 10:30 p.m. The ensemble, directed by Magraner, Robert Cases (assistant director and Renaissance guitarist), and choreographer Toni Aparisi (stage assistant), will perform an adaptation of Adriano Banchieri’s *Il Festino*, a five-part madrigal comedy for five voices, set during a carnival celebration on the first day of the festivities, before dinner.

East and West

The Al Tayr Ensemble, featuring Jon Wasserman (vocals and plucked strings), Olga Rodon (flutes), and Alberto Espinosa (percussion), will present *The Journey of Abendino* at the Municipal Theater on Sunday, the 19th, at 12:30 p.m., a journey through the musical traditions of the East and West that recounts the exodus of a Sephardic Jew from his native Granada to Constantinople in 1492. Admission is free until capacity is reached. In the afternoon, Beatriz Lafont & Eduardo Egüez will present *Ecos del Siglo de Oro* (Echoes of the Golden Age), a program in which the soprano and guitarist and the vihuela player will perform Spanish music from the Renaissance and Baroque periods at the Church of San Juan at 7:30 p.m.

And in the evening, at the same church, the Alfonsí Ensemble will perform *Santa María: Espejo de Virtud* at 10:30 p.m. The trio, consisting of Jota Martínez (percussion, cítolas, lutes, wheel violas, vocals, and conductor), César Carazo (vocals and viola de brazo), and Eduard Navarro (lute, guiterna, bagpipes, chirimía, and xalomó), will explore the connection between the figure of the Virgin Mary and the three theological virtues through the *Cantigas de Santa María* by Alfonso X the Wise. Italian Baroque violinist Alessandro Ciccolini, together with Giulia Gillio Gianetta (viola da gamba) and Tommaso Tarsi (theorbo), will present *La voz del violín* (The Voice of the Violin), with echoes of 17th-century Italian music at the Church of San Juan on the 20th at 7:30 p.m.

The festival will continue with the Taiwanese group The Gleam Ensemble at the Church of San Juan on the 21st at 7:30 p.m.; and in the evening, Calíope will perform at the Garden of the Poets in a free evening of poetry and music at 10:30 p.m. AVocal & Marco García de Paz will perform at the Church of San Juan on the 22nd at 7:30 p.m.; and that evening, the Ensemble Andalusí will perform at the Municipal Theater at 10:30 p.m. The festival will conclude on the 23rd with a performance by Bassa Capella at the Municipal Theater at 11:00 a.m., and with the traditional *La dansa de la mort* at the massive closing concert to be held at the Convent of Sant Francesc at 7:30 p.m.

European Quality Seal

The Early Music Morella Festival has been awarded the EFFE (Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe) certification by the European Festivals Association (EFA). This seal is a quality label that distinguishes festivals that stand out for their high artistic quality and significant local, national, and international impact. The association, which brings together festivals from across the continent, raises their profile and fosters artistic collaboration; it awards the seal following an evaluation by international experts.

Early Music Morella, a member of VEM (Valencia Early Music Festivals), REMA (Réseau Européen de Musique Ancienne), and Festclásica, is supported by the Morella City Council, the Castellón Provincial Council, the Valencian Regional Government, the Valencian Institute of Culture (IVC), the Castellón Provincial Tourism Board, the Ministry of Culture (INAEM), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Cervantes Institute, the Cultural Affairs Office of the Spanish Embassy in the Kingdom of Morocco, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the Moroccan Ministry of Culture, the José Ortega y Gasset Foundation - Gregorio Marañón Foundation in Madrid, Menéndez Pelayo International University (UIMP), the Association of Interpreters and Performers (AiE), La Seu dels Ports at Jaume I University (UJI), and the Archpriestal Basilica of Santa Maria la Major in Morella.