“A Partisan of Life”: 2024 Princess of Asturias Laureate for the Arts Joan Manuel Serrat will review his life and career in a conversation with Iñaki Gabilondo

Joan Manuel Serrat, 2024 Princess of Asturias Laureate for the Arts, will talk with journalist Iñaki Gabilondo about his life and career within the framework of “Awards Week”. The event entitled A Partisan of Life, will take place at 7:30pm on Wednesday 23rd October at the Jovellanos Theatre, Gijón.

The Laureate will also meet with a delegation of teachers and pupils who have participated in the “Counterpoint to Serrat” and “Versed in Serrat” activities within the “Taking the Floor” cultural programme for schools in the Principality of Asturias. This event will be held on Tuesday 22nd October at the IES Río Nora state secondary school in Pola de Siero.

OTHER EVENTS FOCUSSING ON JOAN MANUEL SERRAT

The Foundation has also organized other events linked to the figure of Joan Manuel Serrat at different locations.

Güeñu/Bueño (Ribera de Arriba), conferred with the 2012 Exemplary Town of Asturias Award, will host the tribute concert Fiesta! Soundtrack of a time, with the participation of a broad selection of musicians from the Asturian scene, which will include versions by Serrat himself and other artists with whom the Laureate has shared stage, time or context. The concert will take place on the morning of Sunday 13th October.

La Vega Arms Factory

The La Vega Arms Factory in Oviedo will be the setting for concerts and round tables, designed to rediscover the artist's musical career:

• Daughters of the Mediterranean. A tribute concert to Joan Manuel Serrat,  in which artists Anni B. Sweet, Valeria Castro, Miren Iza and Iván Ferreiro  will perform some of the Laureate’s most representative songs. The concert  will take place on Friday 18th October.
• Sincerely Ours. On Saturday 19th October, some of Spain’s most famous  singer-songwriters will take part in a round table discussion on the  importance of Joan Manuel Serrat’s work and his influence on Spanish  popular music and on later generations, among other topics. Ismael Serrano, Andrés Suárez and Pasión Vega will participate in this event, moderated by Luis García Gil.
• Now That They Are 20 Years Old. Young artists will cover some of the  Laureate’s hits and perform their own songs inspired by his songbook to  celebrate the singer-songwriter's influence on later generations. This tribute  concert will be held on Saturday 19th October.
• ¡Fiesta! Soundtrack of a time. On Thursday 24th October, there will be a second session of the concert held in Güeñu/Bueño on the 13th.

Awards Week

These activities form part of “Awards Week”, a cultural programme designed by the Foundation that includes the participation of the Princess of Asturias Laureates in a variety of activities during the days leading up to the Awards Ceremony at the Campoamor Theatre. Since 1996, the Foundation has scheduled different activities in diverse locations in Asturias aimed at making the Laureates and their contributions to the world of science, culture or any other field in which they work better known to society at large.

Full programme yet to be announced

The full programme of activities featuring the Laureates will be announced in the coming days.