A RADIO PROGRAM DEDICATED TO CHORAL MUSIC
Original idea and direction: Víctor Martín Flores
Guiniguada Radio, FM 89,4 of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria,
Wednesdays, 21.00h and rebroadcast on Saturdays, at the same time & Ivoox
On March 12, 2025, a project was born, both attractive and endearing; informative and informative: Acapela – led by a great friend and fellow choir member Víctor Martín Flores.
Víctor, being a member of the choirs Coro de la Orquesta Sinfónica de Las Palmas and ComCanto, from the island of Gran Canaria, brings a point of view from his own experience and an unsatisfied curiosity.
Every Wednesday, he introduces us to several of the more than 150 existing choirs in the Canary Islands. During a one-hour radio broadcast he is creating a space dedicated exclusively to the great existing choral family in this Autonomous Region, giving voice to their directors or leaders with the aim of bringing them together, establish links and show the importance of choral music in the life of our society.
In each episode, three or four choral ensembles are presented through their origins, repertoire and most memorable moments. Originally presented as if it were a gourmet menu or a wine tasting, we can also listen to different recordings of performances of each of them.
Everything is framed in the majestic leitmotiv ‘O Fortuna’, from the work Carmina Burana by Karl Orff, performed by the Orquesta Sinfónica de Las Palmas and its choir, on the occasion of its 25th anniversary.
The variety among the choirs, so far presented, is considerable: from classical to pop, gospel, religious and secular, chamber ensembles and ensembles of up to 60 and more components, children’s, youth and adult ensembles, choirs of female or only male voices, as well as mixed.
When I arrived in the islands, there was not yet a consolidated choral tissue as I knew it from Germany, where in every village there was at least one choir, if not more. Now, 25 years later, the islands look like a green field covered with sonorous flowers that have nothing to envy to the rest of Europe. Thanks to Victor’s informative work, we have the opportunity to meet these jewels of the choral world, whose existence is still mostly unknown to most of us.
I have been singing all my life, and I am genuinely interested in the work of other colleagues, I know the world quite well. And no, it’s humbling for me because the ensembles I don’t know yet are more numerous than the ones I know. In fact, listening to the program, I am realizing how different and curious only some of the names of the groups are. Imagine now their music!
Please have in mind that singing in a choir is not only a hobby or pastime. It is a highly beneficial activity on an intellectual, personal and social level with ameliorating effects in cases of anxiety, depression and other clinical conditions. Regular participation in a vocal ensemble not only brings musical knowledge, fun and friends, but also a clear improvement in the self-assessment of the quality of life, the physical health of great importance in our lives.
I assure you, from my own experience of more than 45 years of singing, that feeling the vibration of a united sound, the aligned common breath, together with the beauty of the sounds created among all, is one of the most pleasurable and stimulating things I have ever known.
Víctor presents us the huge vocal menu that there is in the islands every Wednesday on Radio Guiniguada. All you have to do is choose what you feel like tasting. So far, there have participated:
- Coral AWARA (La Palma) – https://www.facebook.com/coral.awara/?locale=es_ES
- Escuelas Musicales CANDIDITO (Teror- GC) – https://www.emmcandiditoteror.com/web/
- Coro PRODEUM (GC) – https://www.paginasarcoiriscristianas.com/organismos/organismo.shtml?id=8202
- Coro del CEIP Alcaravaneras (GC) – https://sites.google.com/view/coro-alcaravan/p%C3%A1gina-principal?authuser=2
- Coral VILLA DE FIRGAS (GC) – https://www.facebook.com/coral.villadefirgas/?locale=es_ES
- Coral POLIFÓNICA SAN GINÉS (LANZAROTE) – https://culturalanzarote.com/eventos/coral-san-gines/
- MASA CORAL TINERFEÑA (TF) – https://www.facebook.com/MasaCoralTenerife/?locale=es_ES
- Coro del CEIP ARUCAS (GC)
- Coral MUNICIPAL DE TIJARAFE (LA PALMA) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFsOi-NF7aE
- SCHOLA CANTORUM (GC) – https://www.schola.ulpgc.es/
- CAMERATA MENCEY TINGUARO (TF) – https://www.facebook.com/menceytinguarocamerata/?locale=es_ES
- ARIDANE GOSPEL CHOIR (LA PALMA) – https://www.instagram.com/aridanegospelch/
- CANTICORUM IUBILO (TF) – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063695282243
- Coro del CEIP GINER DE LOS RIOS (GC)
- Coro de la CASA DE CANTABRIA (GC)
- Coro AMATI (TELDE-GC) – https://www.facebook.com/p/Coro-Amati-C%C3%ADrculo-Cultural-de-Telde-100063754820516/?locale=es_LA&_rdr
- HOMINI CHORUM (TF) – https://www.facebook.com/hominichorum.formacioncoral/?locale=es_LA
- CHELYS ODALYS (INGENIO- LP) – https://coralchelysodalys.blogspot.com/
- LITTLE GOSPEL CHOIR (LA PALMA) – https://www.instagram.com/littlegospelchoir_lp/
- MEMVUS ARTE (infantil y juvenil) LPGC – https://escuelamemvus.com/
- RAINBOW GOSPEL CHOIR (GC) – https://www.facebook.com/RainbowGospelChoir/?locale=es_ES
- SÚBITO KORAL (GC) – https://www.facebook.com/subitokoral/?locale=es_ES
And coming soon …
- COMCANTO (GC) – https://www.corocomcanto.com/
- DONNA VOCE (GC) – https://www.facebook.com/corodonnavoce/?locale=es_LA
- EUNOIA CORO DE CÁMARA (TF) – https://www.instagram.com/eunoia_coro_de_camara/?hl=es
- CANARIAS TEEN GOSPEL CHOIR (TF)
- MEMVUS (mixto, mujeres y ensemble) LPGC – https://escuelamemvus.com/
- CAMERATA LACUNENSIS (TF) – https://cameratalacunensis.com/
- POLIFÓNICA PEDRO FUENTES LÓPEZ (TF) – https://losrealejos.es/colectivos/coral-polifonica-pedro-fuentes-lopez/
… and all those that are left!
To all my dear readers and to all those interested in music and, in particular, choral music, I highly recommend to go to Radio Guiniguada or Ivoox and follow the attractive voice of Víctor, entering into the scores made vibrant emotion.
Next program… Wednesday, April 23rd!!!!
Enjoy!
Nicole Martín Medina
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
April 2025
(Original Spanish/Translation Deepl/Revision NMM)
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FURTHER INFORMATION:
Here you find the links to the social media profiles of the Acapela program (if you use search engines, please note that it is called AcapelaVMF:
ACAPELA ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572406751053&locale=es_ES
ACAPELA ON IVOOX: https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-acapela_sq_f12552347_1.html
ACAPELA ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/acapelavmf/
ACAPELA ON GUINIGUADA RADIO:
For my readers interested in the number of choirs existing in the Canary Islands, I suggest the following sources. On the one hand, the Official Register of Associations of the Canary Islands, since the great majority of choirs are constituted as associations. On the other hand, the possibility of joining the unofficial Registry of choirs, which is intended to be a preliminary step to an affiliation to the Association of Canarian Choirs.
Association Registry:
https://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/entidadesjuridicas/Servicios/asociaciones/
Canary Islands Choirs Registry:
https://coroscanarios.org/registro-coros-canarias/
Regarding the issue of how to constitute a choir as an association, please refer to my article:
https://nicolemartinmedina.com/los-coros-como-asociaciones/ (only Spanish available)
