Orfeó Atlàntida
OUR HISTORY
Orfeó Atlàntida is one of the oldest choral organizations in Catalonia, founded in 1926 in the Barcelona neighborhood of Hostafrancs. During its almost 100 years of life, the Orfeó Atlântida has been adapting the repertoire to the evolution of time. The works he performs span from the Renaissance to the present day, through black spirituals, sacred music, Mozart's Coronation Mass, Schubert's Mass in D, Vivaldi's Gloria and Magnificat, Brückner's Te Deum, Messa di Puccini's Gloria, opera choirs, 20th century music and Broadway musical choirs, with a special focus on Traditional Catalan Music.
The roots
The Orfeó Atlàntida is a choral organization linked from its beginnings, in 1926, to the Hostafrancs district, an eminently working-class neighborhood of Barcelona. The archives of the Orfeó were damaged by the Civil War, which does not allow us to know the details of its foundation. However, we know that many of the founders were workers from Hostafrancs and Sants who already had experience in choral singing.
Its name, however, does let us glimpse some characteristics of the entity that was born:
It was an orfeón, that is to say, a choir of mixed voices, unlike the already veteran Clavé choirs at the time, and following the model of younger orfeóns, whose prototype was the Orfeó Català;
Its name, Atlàntida, which takes the name of Jacint Verdaguer's epic poem, considered a symbol of Catalan affirmation, refers to its Catalan character.
It is also an entity that has managed to survive the passage of time thanks to the constant effort, the firm will and the musical vocation of all those who, from that 12 May 1926 until now, have been part of it.
The growth
The Orfeó Atlàntida began its musical activity with more than two hundred singers, at number 18 of Carrer Consell de Cent, in a place known by the suggestive name of Sang Nova. In this place, Orfeó prepared his public baptism. At that time, as was tradition, the blessing of the Senyera de l'Orfeó could not be missing; this religious ceremony was held in 1927 at the Basilica of Montserrat and was presided over by the abbot, Father Antoni M. Marcet.
The beginnings were exciting and the Orfeó performed in front of teachers Lluís Millet, co-founder of the Catalan Orfeó, and Joan Llongueras, founder of the Catalan Institute of Rhythm and Plastic. The concerts followed one another: among others, he sang at the Teatre Coliseum in Barcelona and at the Palau de la Música Catalana while participating in the concerts organized by the Associació Obrera de Concerts founded by Pau Casals.
At the end of the second year of life, the choral mass already consisted of 232 singers. But the growth did not only affect the number of singers, it was not only quantitative, but also qualitative: new sections were created, such as a dance club, sardane school, hiking, photography, etc., which enriched the organization and transformed it in a meeting center where its members shared hobbies and friendship, a center of leisure activities highly valued by society at the time. For 10 years the Orfeó carried out its work, and changed its headquarters, which moved to number 23 of the same Consell de Cent, until...
The parenthesis
The military insurrection of 1936 and the subsequent Civil War broke into the activities of all the cultural entities of the time, which were suspended. Also those of the still young Orfeó Atlântida. In 1937, armed political elements of Acción Republicana confiscated the premises. They had to seek refuge in another place in the nearby street of Caius Celi, that of the Catalan Nationalist Party, but this too was closed at the beginning of 1939 by the new fascist authorities.
The rematch
The war ended. And a sad and long post-war period followed. Until 1951, the Orfeó Atlântida could not resume its activities, now, again, in the old premises of the Sang Nova. In 1955 he saw the need to change premises and, at the beginning of 1956, he found shelter in the young entity Societat Esportiva de l'Espanya Industrial. These were times when the choral body continued to perfect itself and expand the repertoire, while its sections were fully functioning. After some vicissitudes, the Orfeó had to change premises: first it went to the headquarters of the Montserrat University where it lived until 1967, when a new premises was rented, now at number 30 Consell street of Cent where Orfeó has been doing for years...
Recent times
In recent times, there has been a need to open up the organization's activities more to the neighborhood, as well as to find a new, more accessible location. With these objectives in mind, in 2003 the Orfeó Atlàntida began its contacts with the Hostafrancs Cultural Foundation, to see if it was possible to integrate within this prestigious and consolidated cultural entity in the neighborhood. The talks bore fruit and in 2004 Orfeó moved its headquarters there, to Carrer Torre d'en Damians, number 6, very close to the old one. As a result of this integration, the Orfeó now enjoys the use of a spacious room for rehearsals and a fully equipped stage for performances.
L'Orfeó has a varied repertoire that ranges from romantic songs from the 14th century to contemporary music halls, through sardanas and Catalan folk songs and pieces by Mozart and Vivaldi. It should also be said that, in music halls, a certain dramatic interpretation is added to the traditional musical interpretation; in this way, the Orfeó adapts both to the new trends in choral singing and to the new musical tastes of the public.
Anniversarys
50th Anniversary - 1976
This year, several commemorative events were organized and a book was published on the history of Orfeó Atlàntida, written by an illustrious neighbor of the Hostafrancs neighborhood, Dr. Joan Pelegrí i Partegàs. And, remembering the blessing of the Senyera, a new visit to Montserrat was organized.
The most relevant Event was the concert at the Saló del Tinell in Barcelona which brought together three generations of singers.
75th Anniversary - 2001
Among the various scheduled events, the closing concert, with orchestra and soloists, held at the Winterthur Auditorium in Barcelona should be highlighted. The Coronation Mass (KV317), by W. A. Mozart, was performed, among other pieces. A CD of this concert was recorded and put on sale.
85th Anniversary - 2011
To celebrate the organization's 85th anniversary, a concert was organized - among other events - at the Barcelona Auditorium, together with the Dyapason Chamber Choir. The concert took place on May 15, 2011 in the Oriol Martorell Room of the Auditorium.
Some works from the repertoire were performed a cappella, as well as Giacomo Puccini's Messa di Gloria with the Empordà Chamber Orchestra, tenor and baritone soloists.
We were lucky to have Monsignor Valentí Miserachs, director of the "Pontificio Istituto di Musica Sacra" in Rome, who conducted the Messa di Gloria, a work in which he is an expert.
90th Anniversary - 2016
The Orfeó Atlàntida began its musical activity with more than two hundred singers, at number 18 of Carrer Consell de Cent, in a place known by the suggestive name of Sang Nova. In this place, Orfeó prepared his public baptism. At that time, as was tradition, the blessing of the Senyera de l'Orfeó could not be missing; this religious ceremony was held in 1927 at the Basilica of Montserrat and was presided over by the abbot, Father Antoni M. Marcet.
The beginnings were exciting and the Orfeó performed in front of teachers Lluís Millet, co-founder of the Catalan Orfeó, and Joan Llongueras, founder of the Catalan Institute of Rhythm and Plastic. The concerts followed one another: among others, he sang at the Teatre Coliseum in Barcelona and at the Palau de la Música Catalana while participating in the concerts organized by the Associació Obrera de Concerts founded by Pau Casals.
To celebrate the organization's 90 years, an exhibition was held that, through images, texts and newspapers, aimed to take viewers on the journey of the Orfeó throughout all these years. Various ex-presidents and honorary singers were also met and interviewed about their time in the organization.
Here you can see this whole exhibition in more depth.
CONDUCTOR
1926-1930 - Normand Soler
1930-1936 - Joan Suñé i Sintes
1951-1954 - Normand Soler / Sots Director: Francesc Guivernau
1955-1961 - Francesc Folguera
1961-1997 - Antoni Coll i Cruells / Sots Directors: Rita Torres, Francesc Guivernau, Carles Pongiluppi i Teo Roura
1997-1998 - Jordi Gargallo
1998-2004 - Domènec Olivella López
2004-2005 - Sònia Torner i Molins
2007-2013 - Murat Khúpov (Director adjunt)
2005-2022 - Milén P.Panayótov
2022-2023 - Rodrigo Cob
2023- ---- - Arnau Roura
1926-1929 - Miquel Guixà i Caselles
1929-1930 - Joan Altimir i Sobrey
1930-1932 - Joan Mestres i Coll
1932-1933 - Joan Rallé i Sans
1933-1935 - Marcel Blanch i Mayol
1935-1936 - Tomàs Benedico i Bergua
1936-1937 - Josep Garcia i Cases
1951-1953 - Antoni Sancho i Vallet
1954-1961 - Antoni Ramon i Borrós
1962-1965 - Joan Cuatrecasas i Cortès
1965-1966 - Josep Nogué i Montanyès
1967-1971 - Josep Gosalves i Llobregat
1971-1977 - Ramon Morera i Oliveras
1977-1978 - Josep León i Humbert
1978-1980 - Enric Bahí i Guasch
1980-1984 - Ramon Morera i Oliveras
1984-1990 - Joan Cuatrecasas i Cuadrat
1990-1990 - Albert Yrurzun i Andreu
1990-1994 - Ramon Morera i Oliveras
1994-1994 - Teodor Escorsa i Cabané (en funcions)
1994-1997 - Salvador Molins i Bagaria
1997-2001 - Jaume Forner i Gómez
2001-2002 - Ramon Morera i Oliveras (en funcions)
2002-2006 - Lluís Cuatrecasas i Albareda
2006-2012 - David Forner i Bofill
2012-2019 - Anna Cuatrecasas i Albareda
2019-2022 - Juan Jesús González Diz
2022- ----- - Anna Cuatrecasas i Albareda