The Taiwanese ensemble The Gleam Ensemble is coming to the Morella Festival with a reflection on musical intersections and boundaries

Early Music Morella, the International Course and Festival of Medieval and Renaissance Music, reaches its halfway point with a performance by the ensemble at the Church of San Juan on Tuesday, the 21st, at 7:30 p.m.; and in the evening, Calíope will perform in the Garden of the Poets for a free evening of poetry and music at 10:30 p.m.

The festival will feature 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

Carles Magraner, artistic director of Early Music Morella, states that “the project is celebrating its fifteenth edition by furthering its international reach with the ensembles, musicians, and artists joining us this year.”

Bernabé Sangüesa, mayor of Morella: “Year after year, the festival consolidates a high-caliber musical program that highlights and showcases the municipality’s various architectural landmarks.”

The Gleam Ensemble will present the program “Sussanne Unbound,” marking the 400th anniversary of the beginning of European and Spanish presence in northern Taiwan (1626) and reflecting on the emergence of instrumental independence in early 17th-century Europe

Also performing at the festival will be Alessandro Ciccolini, Calíope, AVocal & Marco García de Paz, and the Ensemble Andalusí de Tetuán

Early Music Morella, the International Course and Festival of Medieval and Renaissance Music, organized by the Comes Cultural Association and the CdM Cultural Foundation, reaches its midpoint with a performance by the Taiwanese group The Gleam Ensemble at the Church of San Juan on Tuesday, the 21st, at 7:30 p.m.; and in the evening, Calíope will perform in the Garden of the Poets for a free evening of poetry and music at 10:30 p.m. The fifteenth edition will feature 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.

Carles Magraner, artistic director of Early Music Morella, states that “the project reaches its fifteenth edition by furthering its international reach with the ensembles, musicians, and artists joining us this year.” The viola da gamba player, musicologist, and director of Capella de Ministrers emphasizes that “excellence and rigor are the hallmarks of this festival, which celebrates a musical heritage spanning from the Middle Ages to the 18th century that we will share with the audience.”

Bernabé Sangüesa, mayor of Morella, notes that “year after year, the festival consolidates a high-caliber musical program that highlights and showcases the municipality’s various architectural landmarks.” Sangüesa notes that “the importance of Early Music Morella grows with each edition and attracts the interest of national and international enthusiasts and music lovers, with an audience that gives a warm welcome to all the concerts and activities it hosts.”

The Gleam Ensemble will present the program *Sussanne Unbound, Of Flesh and Breath: The Pinnacle of the Diminution Era*. The ensemble, consisting of Lambert Colson (cornetto), Yu Ma (flutes), Susanna Defendi (sacabuche), Shio Ohshita (violin), Martin Chiang (bassoon), and Jorge García (basso continuo), commemorates the 400th anniversary of the beginning of European and Spanish presence in northern Taiwan (1626) with a concert that will explore cultural intersections, musical boundaries, and the emergence of instrumental independence in early 17th-century Europe.

Amid the musical upheaval of the late Renaissance and early Baroque, a profound shift took place: instruments began to emerge from the shadow of the human voice and gradually acquired their own expressive syntax, flourishing through the art of diminution, counterpoint, and virtuosic flourishes. The performance is a journey from the intimate intertwining of vocal melodies and instrumental lines to the moment when instrumental music found its own voice in fantasias and sonatas.

The festival will continue on the evening of the 22nd with Calíope, which will present an evening of poetry and music in the Garden of the Poets, one of the city’s least-known spots that pays tribute to the rhapsodes associated with Morella; a beautiful and peaceful spot that offers the opportunity to enjoy nature, relax, and learn about literature and music from the course participants.

Lagrime di San Pietro

AVocal CdM & Marco García de Paz will present the program *Lagrime di San Pietro* at the Church of San Juan on Wednesday, the 22nd, at 7:30 p.m. The repertoire consists of a cycle of 20 madrigals and a closing motet by the late Renaissance composer Orlando di Lasso. It is structured in three sequences of seven compositions each, all for seven voices. It was his final work, written in 1594 and published posthumously in Munich in 1595. He dedicated it to Pope Clement VIII three weeks before his death on May 24, 1594. AVocal CdM was founded in 2024 with the aim of forming a purely vocal ensemble dedicated to performing Renaissance and Baroque music under the direction of various renowned conductors in the world of a cappella vocal music.

The Ensemble Andalusí & Toni Aparisi will perform *Balansiya, Oh València! Tu no ets tu* on the evening of the 22nd at the Municipal Theater at 10:30 p.m. The ensemble, consisting of singer Iman Kandousi, Aziz Samsaoui (kanun and lute), Fathi Benyakoub (violin), and Mouhsine Kouraichi (percussion), will perform alongside choreographer Toni Aparisi and dancers Natalia Pérez, Nicole Zurita, Carla Escamilla, and Celina Rodriguez in a production honoring the memory of the Andalusian poet, composer, and philosopher Ibn Bayyah, better known in Spanish as Avempace.

The music of the Near East and the Maghreb has been the wellspring from which Andalusian artists have drawn inspiration for centuries. Melodies, sensual rhythms, and improvisation come together in an art form that was highly prized at the courts of caliphs and sultans. This music reaches its peak in the refinement of its classical form and the spontaneity of its folk tradition.

Grand Closing Concert

On the final day, Early Music Morella will conclude with a performance by La Bassa Capella at the Municipal Theater on the 23rd at 11:00 a.m., and with the traditional *La dansa de la mort* in a spectacular, large-scale closing concert to be held at the Convent of Sant Francesc at 7:30 p.m.

Performers at the festival so far have included Jorge García Martín, Capella de Ministrers, the Acadèmia CdM, the Al Tayr Ensemble, Beatriz Lafont & Eduardo Egüez, and the Ensemble Alfonsí. Italian Baroque violinist Alessandro Ciccolini, together with Giulia Gillio Gianetta (viola da gamba) and Tommaso Tarsi (theorbo), presents *La voz del violín* (The Voice of the Violin), with echoes of 17th-century Italian music at the Church of San Juan on Monday, the 20th, 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 Performers and Interpreters (AiE), La Seu dels Ports at Jaume I University (UJI), and the Archpriestal Basilica of Santa María la Mayor in Morella.