Diana Jacklin sings Verdi's Lady Macbeth

(Source: CODA music society) Diana Jacklin sings Lady Macbeth's aria Ambizioso Spirto from Verdi's Macbeth. Kristin Okerlund is at the piano. Diana Jacklin came to the first International Music Festivals of Jimena and was a wild success. She returned several times, not just to perform but also as a private visitor. Great to see her here!

Coda Chamber Orchestra and Children's Orchestra programme

JIMENA We received this this morning, just in time to let you know what exactly you will be able to hear tomorrow, Saturday 12, at 7pm at the Convento in Estación - which we first announced here. It's an interesting and very varied programme that ranges from Purcell and Bach to Lloyd Webber and Elgar. See details below.>>>

Coda Orchestra and Jimena Children's concert this Saturday

Just-for-fun illustration only

JIMENA (Press release) Intensive rehearsals are under way for the Annual Summer Concert organised by Coda, Jimena´s Cultural Association which is to be held in the Convento in Estación de Jimena on Saturday  May 12 at 7pm. Tickets at the door: €5, €3 for CODA members (Money collected will go towards purchase of instruments for Children's Orchestra).Taking part will be Jimena's own Chamber Orchestra featuring works by Corelli, Kajanus and Purcell. This time we will welcome the English flautist, William Tilsden, to play the famous Bach Suite in B minor for Flute and Strings. A regular feature of these concerts is the inclusion of the Children´s Orchestra of Jimena.  This popular group have only been playing together for a little over 4 years and are already enchanting audiences with their ability, enthusiasm and joy of making music. This orchestra represents the coming together of the children who learn an orchestral instrument in the rapidly-developing Escuela Municipal de Música de Jimena de la Fontera.>>>

Joaquín Rodrigo's 'Como una Fantasía' gets European premiere in Jimena

Joaquín Rodrigo

This is  an important piece of news for classical music enthusiasts in Europe. On Saturday, May 5th, Jimena residents will be offering the European premiere of a piece of music written in 1979 by Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999), the composer of the internationally famous Concierto de Aranjuez, possibly the best known piece of Spanish music. Titled Como una Fantasía, the piece will be performed as part of a recital by Jimena resident Michael Jones, who is a cellist of international repute. You can read more about the recital, the music, Rodrigo and Jones on JimenaPulse.

Michael Jones recital next Saturday, May 5

Michael Jones

Jimena's music society, CODA has organized a recital by cellist Michael Jones on Saturday, May 5, at the 'middle' church, Iglesia de la Victoria. It is scheduled to start at 8pm. Tickets at the door: €10 (€5 for CODA members). Here is lots more information: The Programme:
J.S .Bach to Joaquín Rodrigo ... a musical fantasy .
J.S Bach medley (mixture, especially of heterogeneous elements; hodgepodge)
Joaquín Rodrigo Como una Fantasía (European premier ) LOTS MORE INFO BELOW>>>

CODA organizes a piano recital for Saturday 28th

JIMENA The music society of Jimena, CODA, has organized a piano recital for Saturday, April 28, at 8pm, at Suzanna Tampier's home (Calle Consuelo 42, next to El Anón). The recital is by the young pianist Paula Cózar, who will be playing a variety of pieces by Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Debussy and others (see the full programme in Spanish below). Tickets at the door are €10 for non-members and €5 for members.

Music school concert this afternoon in Jimena

One of the first concerts

JIMENA The programme of events over the holidays includes a concert by the Jimena Music School, plus piano students. Starting at 5pm at the Casa de la Cultura Leopoldo de Luis (just up from the town hall, on the opposite side of the street. Given the excellent reviews of their latest concerts, and reports on the school's development, we thoroughly recommend this event, which brings it closer to the centre of the municipality, and even closer to where they so often rehearse. See you there!

Classical music concert on Saturday

JIMENA The annual concert by Jimena's choral society and the children's orchestra is scheduled for this coming Saturday at the Convento in Estación (see location on map). Taking part are the Coda Chamber Choir, directed by Susan Elvin, the Coda Chamber Orchestra (Coda is the name of Jimena's music society), and the Children's Orchestra, directed by David Higginbottom - about which you can read an item here. The concert starts at 7pm, tickets at the door for only €2. There will also be drinks and snacks available. SEE THE FULL PROGRAMME BELOW>>>

A truly magnificent performance

Quoting directly from YouTube: "First of all: This is a performance given free by the local communities' dedicated amateur musicians and singers, believe it or not! The concert was held in a church. The Hallelujah, an additional finale to the concert of Georg Friedrich Handel's Messiah Part 1, held on 3rd December 2011 at Nuestra Señora de la Merced church in Sotogrande, Spain. The Sotogrande Camerata Choir with invited singers and the Jimena Chamber Orchestra, plus four soloists - Soprano Esmeralda Espinosa, Alto Yvonne Edge Higginbottom, Tenor Luis Maria Pacetti and Bass Damian Del Castillo Choir Coach: Pascual Fernandez Director: David Higginbottom Sponsored by Jimena's CODA Cultural Association and Sotogrande's Cultural Association" 

December concert to feature Handel's Messiah

SOTOGRANDE (Pres release) On December 3, Saturday, a concert featuring the first part or Christmas section of Handel’s Messiah will be presented at the Sotogrande Church at 8:00 pm.  The concert is sponsored by the Cultural Association CODA of Jimena de la Frontera.  The main choir for the occasion will be the Camerata Singers of Sotogrande which will be reinforced by members of the Jimena CODA Choir, Coral Portus Albus of Algeciras and other individual guest singers. The augmented choir will be accompanied by a Chamber Orchestra made of principally the musicians from the Jimena CODA Choir and orchestra plus some invited instrumentalists.  The four soloists are stand outs in their profession, having performed in various concerts, operas and zarzuelas in many theatres.  They are Esmeralda Espino (Madrid), soprano, Yvonne Edge Higginbottom (Jimena), contralto, Damian del Castillo (Madrid), baritone and Luis Ma. Pacetti (Málaga), tenor.  The concert-director is David Higginbottom of Jimena.>>>

Duets of the Romantics

(Illustration only)

JIMENA The weather changes and CODA, the local music society, brings us good music. This time it's a selection of duets from the Romantic era, on Saturday, November 5 at Susana's house on Calle Consuelo, next to El Anón, at 8pm. (Tickets at the door: €8, CODA members €5) Performers are Josephina Bekker (soprano), Yvonne Higginbottom (alto) and Frans Rutten (piano) See the whole programme below, for pieces by Mendelssohn, Franck, Saint Saëns and Rossini.>>>

Duets of the Romantics

(Illustration only)

JIMENA The weather changes and CODA, the local music society, brings us good music. This time it's a selection of duets from the Romantic era, on Saturday, November 5 at Susana's house on Calle Consuelo, next to El Anón, at 8pm. (Tickets at the door: €8, CODA members €5) Performers are Josephina Bekker (soprano), Yvonne Higginbottom (alto) and Frans Rutten (piano) See the whole programme below, for pieces by Mendelssohn, Franck, Saint Saëns and Rossini.>>>

Music season begins on Friday

JIMENA Coda, the classic music society of Jimena begins its 2011/2012 season this coming Friday, September 30 with a concert by the Murillo String Quartet. Starting at 8pm, the concert will be held at the Reina Sofía Cultural Centre in Estación. Tickets at the door (€5 Coda members; €8 non-members). The quartet is composed of Ignacio Ábalos Ruiz and Gevorg Vardanyan on violin, Carmen María Martínez Cruz on viola and María Natividad Álvarez-Ossorio Torres on cello. See the full programme below>>>

Jimena is never too far away from the music, by Wendy Tong

Jimena music festival may be gone for now, but just 2 hours up the track by train you can find Antequera hosting a fantastic blues festival. In previous years this has been a week long event, now cash strapped like everywhere else the council has condensed it down to just the 2 nights (Jimena take note!) This is FREE and in a lovely setting up in the Plaza Santa Maria, overlooking the city and surrounding mountains. We went up on Friday night (€20 something return on the train) and stayed overnight at Hostería Colón, also great value and a nice place. The Blues Men opened, their gravel voiced singer blasting out some old favourites. The Lito Blues band were amazing, with brilliant guitar work and an excellent female vocalist. We reckon there were over a thousand people there. Well done to the bars in Jimena, El Anon, Oba and Henriettas and Cuenca for making sure the music has not entirely died here. Excellent performances at Oba and El Anon last night. (Note: The Antequera Blues Festival has been and gone, but another festival close by, at Alcalá de los Gazules -midway between Algeciras and Jerez de la Frontera- is coming up from 10 to 13 August inclusive. Here's more info: www.fimalcala.blogspot.com)

Piano concert coming up on Sunday

CODA members and friends will be pleased to hear that María de los Ángeles Iglesias Macías is offering a recital this coming Sunday at Willibrod Beemster's home, at 6pm. After the recital of works by Santoro, Debussy, Albeniz and Chopin, drinks will be available, though you are asked to contribute with some tapas. Donations will be taken at the door. The door belongs to Willibrod Beemster's home, where he is once more hosting a good concert.

'If Music is the Food of Love' concert coming up

JIMENA The Department of Culture announces a concert dedicated to the music of Henry Purcell. Titled 'If Music is the Food of Love', it is scheduled for Saturday, October 9, at 8.30pm at the old Misericordia church just below Jimena castle. The programme is on the poster (click to enlarge). The concert is by José Enrique García Ortega and Sandra Massa, who direct the Virelay Vocal Group, the Chapel Music at Cádiz Cathedral, where Sandra Massa is the organist. Henry Purcell needs no introduction to ancient music enthusiasts (but for those who'd like to know more, we urge you to look him up on Wikipedia.) (Check our UpComing Events calendar on the sidebar for more things happening in the area.)

Chamber music concert and Master Class coming up

(Press release) Two marvellous Italian artists, violinist Marcello Defant (photo) and pianist Mariarita Pellitteri, will be in Jimena to perform a chamber music concert and to teach some of the students at the Jimena Music School. The concert is sponsored by the Council and CODA, the Jimena music society, and will take place on July 9 at 10pm at the  home of Suzana O'Dell, just below El Anón.  They will present works by Beethoven, Franck, Brahms and Ravel. Defant and Pellitteri will also conduct a Master Class for students of the music school to be held at the Casa de la Cultura (Calle Sevilla, just up from the town hall) in Jimena on July 8 at a time to be announced.

Natalia Kuchaeva piano recital on Saturday

The well-known young pianist, Natalia Kuchaeva, who has played in Jimena several times now, is offering a recital at Susana Odell's home (Consuelo 42, just below El Anón) this coming Saturday, June 12, at 8.30pm. Programme: Part 1: J. Haydn - Sonata in C major; L. Janacek - 'In the Mists'; F. Chopin - Polonaise Fantaisie. Part 2:  S. Prokofiev - Sonata Number 9. Tickets €10 (€5 for Coda Music Society members).