2025
A Macbeth full of ambition and blood in Irun
2025 Season of the Luis Mariano Lyric Association - C. C. Amaia (Irun) - 29/03/2025, 19:00
Macbeth (melodramma in quattro atti) - Music: Giuseppe Verdi - Libretto: Francesco Maria Piave and Andrea Maffei
Macbeth: PAOLO RUMETZ // Lady Macbeth: KARINA SKRZESZEWSKA // Banco: EMIL ABDULLAIEV // Macduff: ALESSANDRO FANTONI // Lady-in-waiting: MARIFÉ NOGALES // Malcolm: JOSU CABRERO // Doctor: HODEI YÁÑEZ // Servant: Dario Maya // Assasin: ANTONIO CALLEJA // ERAGIYOK abesbatza // Luis Mariano Chorus and Orchestra // Stage direction: Alfonso de Filippis // Musical direction: Aldo Salvagno
ERAGIYOK kicked off 2024 with an international performance after receiving the invitation from the organisers of the 'Cantigos in Carrela' festival in Sardinia to perform as a representative of the Basque Country. The festival was born in 1997 with the purpose of bringing together on the weekend before Carnival choirs from the island that practise traditional Sardinian singing , as well as inviting every year an international choir, representative of a characteristic and generally minority choral and cultural tradition. Over the years, groups from Italy, France, Portugal, Catalonia, Asturias, Scotland, Bulgaria, Georgia and the USA, among others, have performed through the festival.
Populos et Concurdos
The first day of the festival, Populos et Cuncordos, took place on Friday afternoon to present the international guest choir. ERAGIYOK performed to a packed Santa Maria degli Angeli church in a concert in which they alternated between sacred and popular Basque repertoire. It was accompanied by Cuncordu Lussurzesu and Cuncordu di Castelsardo, two groups representing the cuncordu, one of the traditional forms of singing practised in Sardinia.
The initial greeting of the festival was given by Giovanni Mura, president of the AIDOS Cultural Association that organises the two days, and Diego Loi, mayor of Santu Lussurgiu. Both highlighted the importance of maintaining the centuries-old tradition of Sardinian singing, before giving way to the two local groups, which performed religious and secular songs.
The last to perform was ERAGIYOK. The audience followed attentively the explanations that preceded each intervention of the choir, which emphasised both the similarities between the Basque and Sardinian cultures, which have preserved their melodies and texts thanks to the oral transmission from generation to generation, and the differences in the evolution of both traditions since the end of the 19th century.
The language barrier was not an obstacle for the public to appreciate the Basque melodies and rhythms, which were shown in all their diversity: from sacred works such as Agur, Maria and Aita Gurea to classic works of our folklore such as a vibrant Kitolis with its zortziko and ezpatadantza and our iconic work, Ator, mutil .
After handing over a souvenir figure as a symbol of friendship and fraternity to the organisers, the concert ended with a sweet Aurtxoa seaskan and a solemn rendition of Agur zaharra.
Cantigos in Carrela, a hymn to tradition
The second day had a completely different character, bringing together all the Sardinian music groups and ERAGIYOK. They all took part in an itinerant journey through the historic centre of the town, one of the best preserved medieval sites in Sardinia.
Starting from the Market Square, the organisers set up various stages where the choirs and the local dance group performed, while the locals and visitors joined in the spectacle by surrounding and interacting with the artists between performances. This went on until well into the night, in a show that sought to take music out of the enclosed spaces and reconnect with the popular tradition of singing in the street, and which ended in a festive atmosphere of fraternisation.
Music and solidarity, companions in life
Kantua eta Elkartasuna 2025 - St. Ignatius of Loyola Church (Donostia) - 12/04/2025, 20:00
Tebe poem (G. Lomakin) // Ave, Maria (J. Guridi) // Aita gurea (F. Madina) // Boga, boga (J. Guridi) // Txeru (J. Guridi) // Erriko festa (V. Zubizarreta) // DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE: O Isis und Osiris (W. A. Mozart) // MACBETH: Coro di sicari (G. Verdi) // MARINA: Coro de marineros (E. Arrieta) // FÜNF LIEDER: 3. Geleit (J. Brahms) // Nere etxea (Aita Donostia) // Nere etorrera (V. Larrea) // Euskalerria (P. Sorozabal) // Nere maitiarentzat (J. J. Santesteban) // Pilota partida bat (T. Aragüés Bernad) // Agur zaharra (S. Salaberri)
Conductor: Jon Larrauri Delika
Pianist: Miren Gabirondo Olazabal
After the performance given in November 2024 in the Kantua eta Elkartasuna cycle, ERAGIYOK took part in the same cycle again, closing the 2025 edition. On this occasion, the concert was held in the St. Ignatius of Loyola Church with a large audience that almost filled the temple.
For this performance in favour of the Zaporeak ERAGIYOK association, they had prepared a programme that combined sacred music, lyrical repertoire and Basque folklore. After an introspective start with Lomakin's magnificent Tebe poem followed by Guridi's Ave, Maria with the same character, the first of the most eagerly awaited moments came with Madina's well-known and spectacular Aita gurea. The emblematic work by the priest from Oñati allowed the choir to show its full range of sound, from the most delicate piano to the most sonorous forte.
Also noteworthy were the incursions into the lyrical section, including a fragment of the opera Macbeth, recently performed in Irun, and the premiere of one of the five works that the German composer Johannes Brahms wrote for bass voices ‘a cappella’, Geleit.
In Basque folklore, as well as old classics such as Boga, boga, Euskalerria and Nere etxea, there were several novelties. Thus, Txeru by Guridi and the satirical song Erriko festa by Zubizarreta could be heard for the first time in the voices of ERAGIYOK.
If throughout the concert the audience's response was favourable, their approval was heard even louder during the encores. The audience burst into applause with Nere maitiarentzat by Iparragirre and, especially, with the last premiere of the night, the joyful Pilota partida bat by Tomás Aragüés, in which five soloists from the choir could be heard perfectly supported by the whole ensemble.
After receiving souvenirs from the organisers and Zaporeak, there was still a chance to listen to one more song, a solemn Agur zaharra, which was the perfect ending to a concert that left a great taste in the mouth.
An unforgettable evening in Madrid
13th Voces Amigas - San Andrés Church (Madrid) - 24/05/2025, 20:00
VOCES GRAVES DE MADRID: Kyrie (P. Janczak) // Nunc dimitis (A. Alcaraz) // Credo (J. Guerrero) // Ave, Regiena caelorum (K. Matsushita) // ERAGIYOK: Tebe poem (G. Lomakin) // Agur, Maria (P. Aldave) // Aita gurea (F. Madina) // Boga, boga (J. Guridi) // Kitolis (L. Aramburu) // Erriko festa (V. Zubizarreta) // MARINA: Coro de marineros (E. Arrieta) // Euskalerria (P. Sorozabal) // Maite (P. Sorozabal) // Pilota partida bat (T. Aragüés Bernad) // VOCES GRAVES DE MADRID & ERAGIYOK: Izar ederrak (J. Elberdin) // Ave, Maria (F. Biebl) // Agur, jaunak (J. Olaizola)
Conductor of ERAGIYOK: Jon Larrauri Delika
Conductor of Voces Graves de Madrid: Juan Pablo de Juan
Pianist: Miren Gabirondo Olazabal
Voces Graves de Madrid and ERAGIYOK starred in the thirteenth edition of the Voces Amigas gathering, in which the Madrid-based group invites other groups to perform. Previous participants have included international ensembles such as The Philippine Madrigal Singers (Philippines), Boston Saengesrfest Men's Chorus (United States) and Kammerchor Nürnberg (Germany).
On this occasion, the concert took place in the central church of San Andrés. The church, located in the La Latina neighbourhood, was packed to the rafters and a quarter of an hour before the concert began there were no seats left. As a result, part of the audience had to stand to watch the concert and the choir members took their seats at the back of the altar.
The evening began with a brief performance by Voces Graves de Madrid, which offered four sacred pieces, including Credo by Basque composer Junkal Guerrero and Ave, Regina caelorum by Japanese composer Ko Matsushita. The Madrid choir, which attracts large audiences to its concerts, was rewarded with enthusiastic applause.
After that, ERAGIYOK took centre stage. The choir organised its programme into three blocks. Following in the footsteps of VGM, it began with three sacred pieces, followed by three Basque folk songs. The last section featured two composers who achieved success in Madrid: Emilio Arrieta and Pablo Sorozabal.
While all parts of the programme were appreciated by the audience, some passages stood out in particular. The first, once again, was Aita gurea, a sacred piece well known outside the Basque Country. Similarly, two works with a maritime theme that always make a strong impression on the audience, Boga, boga and Kitolis.
As the night progressed, it became clear that the concert was going to be a resounding success, and this was confirmed in the last set, which featured Miren Gabirondo on piano. The two pieces by Sorozabal, Euskalerria and, above all, Maite, performed outside of what is usual for ERAGIYOK with its original lyrics in Spanish, brought the audience to their feet. And just when it seemed that the concert had reached its peak, the final ecstasy came with a spectacular Pilota partida bat, in which the five soloists and the choir as a whole received a standing ovation and a succession of “Bravos!” that lasted for more than two minutes.
All that remained was to finish the performance, and this final point came with the joint singing of both choirs. After an exchange of souvenirs, in which ERAGIYOK presented an embroidered txapela as a gift for VGM's 30th anniversary of VGM, three more pieces were heard: an intimate Izar ederrak by Josu Elberdin, followed by the great Ave, Maria by Franz Biebl and the solemn closing with Agur, jaunak, which culminated an hour and a half of concert with the audience on their feet, giving a thunderous ovation and recognising the work of ERAGIYOK and Voces Graves de Madrid.
Kanta Cantemus Korua opens
III AHOBER
3rd choral cycle of equal voices AHOBER - Erribera kulturgunea (Astigarraga) - 15/06/2025, 19:00
Plena (D. V. Sáez) // Andria alargune (D. Azurza) // Taupaka (J. Guerrero) // Nunc dimitis (A. Alcaraz) // I thank you God (G. Walker) // Place me like a seal (T. Frankdatter) // Liebeslied (G. Molaro) // Elementuan kantak (E. Ugalde) // Fields of God (Sting) // Txoria txori (M. Laboa - Arr.: M. Bautista) // Plena (D. V. Sáez)
Conductor: Eva Ugalde Álvarez
Pianist: Junkal Guerrero Langara
ERAGIYOK kicked off 2024 with an international performance after receiving the invitation from the organisers of the 'Cantigos in Carrela' festival in Sardinia to perform as a representative of the Basque Country. The festival was born in 1997 with the purpose of bringing together on the weekend before Carnival choirs from the island that practise traditional Sardinian singing , as well as inviting every year an international choir, representative of a characteristic and generally minority choral and cultural tradition. Over the years, groups from Italy, France, Portugal, Catalonia, Asturias, Scotland, Bulgaria, Georgia and the USA, among others, have performed through the festival.
Populos et Concurdos
The first day of the festival, Populos et Cuncordos, took place on Friday afternoon to present the international guest choir. ERAGIYOK performed to a packed Santa Maria degli Angeli church in a concert in which they alternated between sacred and popular Basque repertoire. It was accompanied by Cuncordu Lussurzesu and Cuncordu di Castelsardo, two groups representing the cuncordu, one of the traditional forms of singing practised in Sardinia.
The initial greeting of the festival was given by Giovanni Mura, president of the AIDOS Cultural Association that organises the two days, and Diego Loi, mayor of Santu Lussurgiu. Both highlighted the importance of maintaining the centuries-old tradition of Sardinian singing, before giving way to the two local groups, which performed religious and secular songs.
The last to perform was ERAGIYOK. The audience followed attentively the explanations that preceded each intervention of the choir, which emphasised both the similarities between the Basque and Sardinian cultures, which have preserved their melodies and texts thanks to the oral transmission from generation to generation, and the differences in the evolution of both traditions since the end of the 19th century.
The language barrier was not an obstacle for the public to appreciate the Basque melodies and rhythms, which were shown in all their diversity: from sacred works such as Agur, Maria and Aita Gurea to classic works of our folklore such as a vibrant Kitolis with its zortziko and ezpatadantza and our iconic work, Ator, mutil .
After handing over a souvenir figure as a symbol of friendship and fraternity to the organisers, the concert ended with a sweet Aurtxoa seaskan and a solemn rendition of Agur zaharra.
Cantigos in Carrela, a hymn to tradition
The second day had a completely different character, bringing together all the Sardinian music groups and ERAGIYOK. They all took part in an itinerant journey through the historic centre of the town, one of the best preserved medieval sites in Sardinia.
Starting from the Market Square, the organisers set up various stages where the choirs and the local dance group performed, while the locals and visitors joined in the spectacle by surrounding and interacting with the artists between performances. This went on until well into the night, in a show that sought to take music out of the enclosed spaces and reconnect with the popular tradition of singing in the street, and which ended in a festive atmosphere of fraternisation.
Celebration of male choirs in AHOBER
3rd choral cycle of equal voices AHOBER - Erribera kulturgunea (Astigarraga) - 20/09/2025, 18:30
ERAGIYOK: Matsaren orpotik (J. Guridi) // FÜNF LIEDER: Geleit (J. Brahms) // Adios ene maitia (Aita Donostia) // Neskazarrak (P. Aldave) || FERRUM:
O Adonai (A. Pärt) // O magnum mysterium (M. Lauridsen) // Ol lux beata Trinitas (F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy) // Lux Aurumque (E. Whitacre) // Virgen de la Barquera (J. Gavito) // Viento del mar (J. Domínguez) // Ferrum (J. Gavito) || FERRUM & ERAGIYOK: Nerea izango zen (J. Busto) // Boga, boga (J. Guridi) // Agur, jaunak (J. Olaizola)
Conductor of FERRUM: Marco Antonio García de Paz
Conductor of ERAGIYOK: Jon Larrauri Delika
ERAGIYOK and FERRUM joined forces in the second concert of the series organised by ERAGIYOK on an afternoon that brought together numerous music lovers at Erribera kulturgunea, attracted by the presence of the Asturian choir, recent winner of the Ejea de los Caballeros Choir Competition, one of the most prestigious competitions held in Spain.
Following the same format used on previous occasions, the host choir ERAGIYOK performed the first pieces of the concert, all of them new additions to their repertoire, including the lively Matsaren orpotik by Guridi and Neskazarrak by Aldave, and an intimate Adios ene maitia by Aita Donostia.
After this appetiser came the main event of the afternoon, the performance by the guest choir FERRUM. The Asturians, who began their journey in 2019 as part of the “El León de Oro” musical project, began their performance with the sacred work Adonai, with almost thirty singers surrounding the audience and conducted by their director Marco Antonio García de Paz from the upper rows of the auditorium. They continued with a sequence of sacred music, alternating classical works such as Mendelssohn's O lux beata Trinitas with contemporary works by musicians such as Lauridsen and Whitacre.
Moving on to secular music, the evocation of their seafaring origins in Luanco came in the form of Viento del mar and Virgen de la Barquera, a composition premiered at the Santa Vicente de la Barquera Seafaring Song Contest, where they won second prize, written by choir member and composer Jesús Gavito. Their final piece, named after the choir, Ferrum, was also impressive, alternating different rhythms accompanied by percussion and the sound of the horn, and offering a vibrant development and finale that sparked ovations and cries of “Bravo!” from the audience.
After an exchange of memories between the two conductors and with all the singers on stage, their voices joined together for the final part of the concert, in which Basque music once again took centre stage with the classic Boga, boga and the symbolic Nerea izango zen (Txoria txori) arranged by Javier Busto, which served to send a message reminding us of the terrible situation in Gaza.
There was still time to close the evening with a solemn Agur, jaunak, which the audience listened to standing up, putting the finishing touch to a great concert.
In favour of ATECE in Day of Acquired Brain Injury
Day of Acquired Brain Injury - Concert in favour of ATECE Gipuzkoa - Church of San Vicente (San Sebastián) - 25/10/2025, 18:00
Tebe poem (G. Lomakin) // Agur, Maria (P. Aldave) // Aita gurea (F. Madina) // Beati mortui (F. Mendelsshon-Bartholdy) // FÜNF LIEDER: 1. Ich schwing mein Horn ins Jammertal (J. Brahms) // FÜNF LIEDER: 3. Geleit (J. Brahms) // Izar ederra (F. Escudero) // Beti maite (R. Sarriegi) // Txeru (J. Guridi) // Maitia, nun zira? (J. Uruñuela) // Neskazarrak (P. Aldave) // Pilota partida bat (T. Aragüés Bernad)
Conductor: Jon Larrauri Delika
ERAGIYOK and FERRUM joined forces in the second concert of the series organised by ERAGIYOK on an afternoon that brought together numerous music lovers at Erribera kulturgunea, attracted by the presence of the Asturian choir, recent winner of the Ejea de los Caballeros Choir Competition, one of the most prestigious competitions held in Spain.
Following the same format used on previous occasions, the host choir ERAGIYOK performed the first pieces of the concert, all of them new additions to their repertoire, including the lively Matsaren orpotik by Guridi and Neskazarrak by Aldave, and an intimate Adios ene maitia by Aita Donostia.
After this appetiser came the main event of the afternoon, the performance by the guest choir FERRUM. The Asturians, who began their journey in 2019 as part of the “El León de Oro” musical project, began their performance with the sacred work Adonai, with almost thirty singers surrounding the audience and conducted by their director Marco Antonio García de Paz from the upper rows of the auditorium. They continued with a sequence of sacred music, alternating classical works such as Mendelssohn's O lux beata Trinitas with contemporary works by musicians such as Lauridsen and Whitacre.
Moving on to secular music, the evocation of their seafaring origins in Luanco came in the form of Viento del mar and Virgen de la Barquera, a composition premiered at the Santa Vicente de la Barquera Seafaring Song Contest, where they won second prize, written by choir member and composer Jesús Gavito. Their final piece, named after the choir, Ferrum, was also impressive, alternating different rhythms accompanied by percussion and the sound of the horn, and offering a vibrant development and finale that sparked ovations and cries of “Bravo!” from the audience.
After an exchange of memories between the two conductors and with all the singers on stage, their voices joined together for the final part of the concert, in which Basque music once again took centre stage with the classic Boga, boga and the symbolic Nerea izango zen (Txoria txori) arranged by Javier Busto, which served to send a message reminding us of the terrible situation in Gaza.
There was still time to close the evening with a solemn Agur, jaunak, which the audience listened to standing up, putting the finishing touch to a great concert.
