AHOBER, cycle of equal voices
ERAGIYOK organizes AHOBER, a cycle of equal voices in Astigarraga.
Since 2023, ERAGIYOK has been organising AHOBER, a cycle of equal voices in Astigarraga .
The fourth edition will consist of three concerts:
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July 4: Vocalia Taldea - Erribera kulturgunea.
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October 24: B-Tenors (Valladolid) & ERAGIYOK - Erribera kulturgunea.
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December 19: ERAGIYOK - Erribera kulturgunea.
With this cycle, ERAGIYOK aims to increase the cultural offer of Astigarraga, surrounding towns and Gipuzkoa, in a less worked area, that of equal voice groups. In doing so, it continues the work undertaken to work and disseminate the repertoire of equal voices . Not in vain, throughout its career ERAGIYOK has performed more than one hundred works of this kind, eighty of them by Basque musicians.
The cycle allows us to broaden that perspective, through works written for white voices and low voices by Basque and foreign composers , in an event that is held annually.
Basilio Astúlez Duque
He is professor of Choral Singing at the Municipal Conservatory of Leioa and founder of Leioa Kantika Korala children's choir in 2001, Kantoria the female youth choir in 2005 and the mixed SJB in 2007. This young choir school includes more than 150 vocalists from ages 7 to 25 years old and has already received numerous awards in Spanish and European competitions. In 2000, he founded the female chamber group Vocalia Taldea.
At the head of these groups, he has produced 10 recordings; embarked on a large number of international tours in Europe and America; and collaborated with important soloists, orchestras, conductors and groups.
In 2008, he received the special award for best conductor in the 47th C. A. Seguizzi International Competition in Gorizia, Italy, for his work at the helm of Leioa Kantika Korala. In 2009, he again received the special award for best conductor at the 38th Florilège Vocal de Tours in France, for his work directing Vocalia Taldea.
He is currently a professor of Choral Direction for educational institutions, universities and various national choral federations and is frequently requested as a panel member for competitions and to offer choral singing courses and seminars in Europe, America and Asia. Since 2018, he is also professor of Choral Direction at the Musikene Conservatory in the Basque Country.
VOCALIA TALDEA
Vocalia Taldea began its professional career in 2000, created by the initiative of its current director, Basilio Astulez. The project is focused on the firm intention of creating a stable vocal group that offers a repertoire that, for reasons of musical and vocal demand, is not usually interpreted. Vocalia Taldea currently consists of around 40 singers from Araba/Álava, Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa,Navarra and La Rioja.. Their risky programming and careful staging make the group as a reference of the current choral performance scene.
Vocalia Taldea interprets a wide range of female choir repertoire, from classical to the contemporary period, both Basque and international music. Likewise, it carries out intense research work on the repertoire of the 20th and 21st centuries and promotes the creation of new music for women's choirs, which enables innovation and expansion of the expressive potential of the group.
Vocalia Taldea has recorded four albums, Neskatxena, María Mater, Haizeak Dakar and, in 2023, Guri, dedicated entirely to the music of Basque composers created specifically for Vocalia Taldea..
Since its beginnings, Vocalia Taldea has been invited to a large number of choral cycles and festivals throughout the Spain and Europe (Italy, France, Ireland, Belgium, and others). Its concerts, praised by critics, define its trajectory highlighted by quality, originality and innovation. The group collaborates frequently with diverse orchestras, soloists and cultural entities, and has received more than twenty awards at international contests like Tours, Arezzo, Maasmechelen or Cork.
B-TENORS (Valladolid)
B-Tenors is a male vocal ensemble founded in Valladolid in 2014. It is made up of singers from various choirs in the city who came together to explore the field of chamber choral singing, striving for quality and precision in their performances. Their repertoire ranges from contemporary pieces to the most classical works, with a particular focus on the music of Spanish composers, which always features prominently in their repertoire.
Since 2015, when they presented their first musical stage production (“Tenebrae”) on a tour of various Spanish towns, they have premiered numerous projects. Notable among these are a pop music concert that took them to Peru and “Stabat Mater”, which they performed in Paris, a city to which they were invited once again for the premiere of “Boreal Sounds” as the group B-Tenors Mixed.
In recent years, they have continued to develop their passion for sacred music for bass voices with projects such as “InAeternum” and “Mariam”, and have ventured into secular music with a delightful programme they premiered in 2023. That year they were awarded 2nd Prize at the Villa de Avilés National Choral Competition, where the jury highlighted their sensitivity, attention to detail and technical rigour.
After celebrating their 10th anniversary, they were selected to take part in the Walking in Beauty Festival in Berlin, which they attended in the spring to be conducted by Ola Gjeilo, returning for a few weeks to their mixed-voice format to perform a wonderful programme entitled “Nordic Sounds”.
Saray Prados Bravo
Born in Valladolid, she undertook her initial musical studies in her hometown, obtaining professional qualifications in singing and violin. She gained a diploma in Music Education and a degree in Music History and Musicology from the University of Valladolid. At the same time, she specialised in the fields of pedagogy, choral conducting and vocal technique applied to youth choral singing.
She has taken singing lessons with Noa Frenkel, Marta Almajano, Javier Alonso, Consuelo Bravo, Susana Corbacho and Claudia Rolando, and vocal technique lessons with Carlos Mena, Jone Martínez, Miren Urbieta, Linda Perillo and David Azurza. In the field of choral conducting (mixed and youth choirs), she has studied with Johan Duijck, Marco García de Paz, Josep Vila, Gary Graden, Javier Fajardo, Esteban Urzelai, Elisenda Carrasco, Basilio Astúlez, Josu Elberdin, Josep Prats and Junkal Guerrero. She has also received masterclasses in choral performance from members of Chanticleer, the Ingenium Ensemble, Gothic Voices and William Fred Scott.
She also began her career in musicological research by completing a Master’s degree in Hispanic Music, and in 2017 she successfully defended her doctoral thesis, achieving the highest mark. She is currently a lecturer in the Department of Music Education at the University of Valladolid, a role she combines with conducting the male vocal group B-Tenors, serving as assistant conductor of the University of Valladolid Choir, and conducting research into vocal hygiene literacy for teachers, teamwork in the choral and musical fields, and the inclusion of active methodologies in music education.
ERAGIYOK
It's a male choir founded in 2018. Our creation is based on the desire to preserve, strengthen and disseminate the musical and choral tradition, emphasizing our commitment to folklore and sacred music of the main Basque composers, but also working on sacred works and international folklore, and lyrical repertoire of opera and zarzuela.
It has two First Prizes to its credit: the 72nd Errenteria Provincial Christmas Carol Competition (2018) and the 56th Barcelona International Choir Song Festival (2021).
Since its birth it has offered more than eighty concerts in which it has performed more than one hundred works .
He has taken Basque music and culture beyond its borders: Cant'A Choeur Festival (Dax, France, 2022), Rencontres Internationales de Voix d'Hommes (Châtel-Guyon, France, 2022), Encounter of Male Choirs (Segovia, 2023), Cantigos in Carrela (Sardinia, Italy, 2024), International Habaneras and Polyphony Choral Competition (Torrevieja, Spain, 2024), 13th Voces Amigas (Madrid, Spain, 2025) and 39th Otoño Musical (Castro Urdiales, Spain, 2025). In 2026 it will perform in Poland (Cracovia Cantans 2026) and France (6émes Rencontres Internationales de Choeur d'Hommes de Châtel-Guyon).
It has also performed on stages and festivals in the Basque Country: Antxon Sierra Oroituz (Donostia, 2020), Festival Internacional de Ochotes (Portugalete, 2021), Musikaste (Errenteria, 2021), Musika Hilabetea (Mutriku, 2022), Ahots-Musika Topaketak (Basauri, 2022), Homage to Pablo Sorozabal Cycle (San Sebastián, 2022), 39. º Sacred Music Series (Hondarribia, 2023), 27th Semana Musical Aita Donostia (San Sebastián, 2024), 46th Musikegunak (Oñati, 2024).
It has performed five operas with the Luis Mariano Lyric Association of Irun: Nabucco (2019), Rigoletto (2022), La fille du régiment (2022), Il Trovatore (2024) and Macbeth (2025). In 2026 it will perform Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
