Euskal kultura

The Doniene Choir, from Leioa Bizkaia, visited Madrid last weekend. They performed two recitals thanks to the local Euskal Etxea. Both took place at the Church of San Ignacio, where the choir surprised the audience with a large repertoire, that included religious pieces, opera and zarzuela, as well as world music, and of course Basque folk songs.

Madrid, Spain. Last Saturday, the Doniene Choir from Leioa traveled to Madrid, invited by the local Basque club to perform two concerts. The group, directed by Garbiñe Abendaño, sang on Saturday afternoon at the Church of San Ignacio, where they performed a very original and fun concert. The repertoire according to the director, included three parts; the first section was religious music, the second was a block of opera and zarzuela, and the last part was world music, with songs from North America, as well as Basque folk songs.

Yesterday, the group repeated the performance during the noon mass at the same church, but this time in the Company of the Madrid Euskal Etxea choir. The visit to Madrid also included a reception and meal at the Basque club where the choir members and club members shared a table, song and a wonderful evening. In addition, the choir presented the Basque club with a present, a reproduction of a plaque from a Leioa Street that is called “Euskal Etxea.”

The Doniene Choir will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2017, and so the group is busy organizing activities to celebrate its birthday. Among these, they are at the disposition of Basque clubs who would like them to come and perform. Other projects include walking the Camino de Santiago, leaving on July 5 from Gares, in Navarre, and walking to Najera, in the Rioja, performing a concert every night in the location where they have stopped for the night.

A recent concert by Doniene in Prague;