RACBA 175, una celebración (RACBA 175, a celebration) is a concert on the occasion of the 175^th anniversary of the Real Academia Canaria de Bellas Artes San Miguel Arcángel (RACBA - San Miguel Arcángel Royal Canarian Academy of Fine Arts)

Founded by Queen Isabella II of Spain on 31 October 1849 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the San Miguel Arcángel Royal Canarian Academy of Fine Arts is celebrating its 175^th year. Originally providing instruction in painting, sculpture and architecture, the academy’s restructuring in 1913 saw the creation of a fourth department dedicated to music. Like the other three, the new department began with five registered staff members. This number eventually grew to eight, and the academy hired external staff at a later date. While most of the academy’s staff members are composers, some are interpreters, and most of them are pianists. Tonight, these pianists shall interpret the works of 10 members and composers, as indicated in the programme.

From the nonagenarian conductor Armando Alfonso, who remains fully active today, to the youngest interpreter, Laura Vega, who has a successful career as a composer in Spain, the pianists shall interpret the works of the following composers. Francisco González Afonso and Alberto Roque were born in Tenerife, the latter residing in Budapest in recent decades and also active as a conductor. Nino Díaz was born in Lanzarote and had a successful career in Berlin as an editor before returning to his home island to establish a foundation in Tías. Gustavo and Dori Díaz-Jerez are siblings, the former a successful pianist and the latter a professor at our conservatory. Born on the island of Gran Canaria, José Manuel Brito is the creator of the acclaimed project Barrios Orquestados, Daniel Roca is an accomplished pianist and Juan Manuel Ruiz resides in Madrid, although he remains closely associated with the Canary Islands. The works of several of these composers have premiered at the Canary Islands Music Festival, such as Daniel Roca, Gustavo and Dori Díaz Jerez, Juan Manuel Ruiz and Laura Vega.

All of them have their particular forms of expression and compositional techniques and will reveal to us the richness of our staff members’ music and the current wealth of artistic talent in the Canary Islands.