Cante de las Minas 2019
- When: 1st – 10th August 2019
- Where: La Unión, Spain
- Website: festivalcantedelasminas.org
Spain is the home of flamenco, and the best flamenco festival in Spain 2019 is the Cante de las Minas in La Unión, Murcia. This festival brings together famous flamenco musicians and singers for a 10-day extravaganza in the south of Spain.
The Festival Internacional del Cante de las Minas, which translates to ‘International Festival of the Mining Songs’, is a flamenco competition that has been held every year in August since 1961. The artists take part in a series of performances to get through to the next round and hopefully to the final on Saturday 10th August.
During the festival’s ten-day run, there are performances from established flamenco musicians and singers, as well as emerging artists and young talents looking to win one of the prizes that are awarded. This recognition is very important for them as it is a big step in the career of many a Spanish flamenco performer, including Miguel Poveda.
History of the flamenco festival in La Unión, Murcia
The music festival owes its name to the history of the town, when it was the coal miners in the Sierra Minera de Cartagena-La Union who came up with original flamenco songs. This art was spread to the cafés when the miners used to go there.
However, the miners were exploited and had really difficult working conditions. The mining crisis and the closure of coal mines in Spain almost ended the artform of flamenco entirely until Juanito Valderrama visited La Unión in the sixties, ready to sponsor and preserve the art of the local mining songs. Thus, in 1961, a group of enthusiasts decided to continue their traditions and create one of the most famous music festivals in Spain. Today, it is a highly respected event in which both professionals and amateurs can participate, with the coveted Lámpara Minera miner’s lamp as the grand prize.
Murcia flamenco festival 2019 lineup
The Cante de las Minas 2019 festival roster is full of outstanding quality flamenco stars and lots of cultural activities related to the art of flamenco. The programme includes various contests and flamenco dancing, plus several courses to improve your flamenco guitar skills, jamón slicing, painting exhibitions, conferences, round tables and even flamenco fashion shows with flamenco dresses.
The performers taking part this year include María José Carrasco, who won in 2018, José Mercé and Alba Heredia. The festival starts with the opening pregón on Thursday 1st August at 10 pm at the Catedral del Cante, where all the concerts take place, and continues with more concerts every evening until the semi-finals on 7th, 8th and 9th August. The grand finale is held at 10 pm on Saturday 10th August. You can see the full lineup in Spanish on the official website.
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