Musical performance

An inter-cooperative artistic endeavor

Lyrics by Jon Sarasua, interpreted live to the tune of a composition by prize-winning composer Fernando Velázquez, will be the foundations of the live musical performance on stage on 14 September at the Buesa Arena in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

The performance will bring together an array of artistic disciplines: dance, theatre, choral music, and the live orchestral interpretation of Fernando Velázquez’s composition by the Basque National Orchestra (Euskadiko Orkestra).

The chorus will be made up of cooperative members who wish to participate, as will the dance and theatre companies. Each group will be directed by outstanding professionals in the genre, including Jon Maya of Kukai and Josu Cámara of Kukubiltxo.

For Fernando Velázquez, musician and composer of the MONDRAGON soundtrack, “Humanity at Music is a different, appealing project.”

A first-rate cast of performance artists and partners

Fernando Velázquez, winner of a Goya award for the soundtrack to Un monstruo viene a verme (A monster is coming to see me). Velázquez has composed over 30 soundtracks for movies such as Lo imposible (The impossible) and El Orfanato (The Orphanage). In addition, he is a cellist, and has directed myriad orchestras from the London Metropolitan Orchestra to the Budapest Radio Symphony. On this occasion, it will the the Basque National Orchestra under his baton, interpreting what he defines as the soundtrack of the MONDRAGON cooperative experience.

Jon Maya, Kukai Dantza taldea (Kukai Dance troupe)—National Dance Prize, 2017.
Jon became interested in the project because of the similarities he found between Kukai and MONDRAGON: Both have sunk their roots deeply into the region, but they use innovation as means of interacting with the outside world. Kukai’s dantzaris (dancers) will interpret the choreography that Jon is now designing to visually communicate the feeling of the Experience.

Jon Sarasua, bertsolari (Basque a cappella singing poet), lyricist, writer and professor, wrote the lyrics for this work.

Leire Bilbao, Katixa Agirre, Irati Jimenez, Gloria Totorikaguena and Pili Kaltzada are the authors of the literary creations.

Maite Mutuberria, illustrator, will create a world of images that will mix with those of MONDRAGON and will be featured both in the book and in the final performance.

Andoni Egaña, Onintza Enbeita, Julio Soto, Jone Uria, Amets Arzallus, Oihana Iguaran, Xabier Igoa and Maddalen Arzallus will all add their bertsos (Basque poems put to music) to the project.

Josu Camara, of Kukubiltxo, will coordinate the casting and set-making of the entire performance.

Winner of a Goya award for the soundtrack to Un monstruo viene a verme (A monster is coming to see me). Velázquez has composed over 30 soundtracks for movies such as Lo imposible (The impossible) and El Orfanato (The Orphanage). In addition, he is a cellist, and has directed myriad orchestras from the London Metropolitan Orchestra to the Budapest Radio Symphony. On this occasion, it will the the Basque National Orchestra under his baton, interpreting what he defines as the soundtrack of the MONDRAGON cooperative experience.

Jon Maya

Dancer and choreographer

Kukai Dantza taldea (Kukai Dance troupe)—National Dance Prize, 2017.
Jon became interested in the project because of the similarities he found between Kukai and MONDRAGON: Both have sunk their roots deeply into the region, but they use innovation as means of interacting with the outside world. Kukai’s dantzaris (dancers) will interpret the choreography that Jon is now designing to visually communicate the feeling of the Experience.

Oriol Roch

General Manager of the Basque National Orchestra

Catalonian Oriol Roch has been the General Manager of Euskadiko Orkestra (EO), the Basque National Orchestra, since 2014. He leads a team of professionals and plans the activities of EO in order to achieve the highest levels of quality, outreach and cultural impact in the Basque Country, making the orchestra the musical benchmark for the country.

Jon Sarasua

Professor and writer

The cooperative movement has been a constant in his life. Since he was born, he has lived and breathed the evolution of the cooperatives in his own home, as well as watching on as the cooperative experience has spread far and wide. He is a professor at Mondragon University (Mondragon Unibertsitatea) and a researcher at LANKI. His theories about the cooperative movement have found their way into a host of publications. In addition, he has composed lyrics for well-known Basque songwriters and, of course, he has an admirable CV as a bertsolari.

Onintza Enbeita

Bertsolari and journalist

Born and raised with traditional Basque bertsolaris all around her, she got to her first finals in the bertsolari championship for Biscay province in 2006. That year she won the championship for her area (Busturialdea) and since then she has never failed to classify in the finals of each and every Biscay championship. In 2005 and 2009 she competed in the Basque Country championships.

Maite Mutuberria

Illustrator

Navarrese illustrator Maite Mutuberria has helped illustrate many books for children and young people and has won many prizes for her efforts. Her latest prize is the Lazarillo Prize for 2014. She is a graduate in Audiovisual Communication and Advanced Technical Illustration.