Barcelona 'City of Classics' to bring together more than 500 artists for 52 concert

The seventh edition of the Barcelona Obertura Ciutat de Clàssica festival will take place from March 5 to April 1. It will bring together more than 500 artists to perform 52 concerts at 29 venues across all ten districts of the city.

Renowned names such as Lithuanian opera singer Asmik Grigorian, the Catalan ensemble Le Concert des Nations and Catalan composer and viol player Jordi Savall, among others, are set to perform at the Liceu, the Palau de la Música Catalana and L'Auditori.

Víctor Medem, director of L'Auditori and head of programming for Ciutat de Clàssica, stressed that the festival serves as "a platform to showcase the talent in the city, emerging talent and the talent we have in our orchestras."

Three artistic lines

Medem outlined three artistic lines that define this year's programme. The first is "Modernisme – Gaudí Year Celebration." 

On the occasion of the centenary of Gaudí's death, this year offers a musical look at his time and revives works by Catalan composers who were contemporaries of the architect, such as Francesc Pujol, Enric Morera and Francesc Tàrrega.

The second theme is "Women Composers Between Two Centuries," with the aim of recovering the long-silenced music of highly talented female composers. 

The third is "Karol Szymanowski," the Polish composer who is described as "one of the great figures of the 20th century."

Free concerts

Barcelona Obertura City of Classics will take over every corner of Barcelona, hosting 27 free concerts that will transform historic buildings, landmarks, museums and municipal venues across all ten districts into stages for young local talent.

"Concerts heard in architecturally distinctive spaces give that extra sense of discovery of the music," Medem said, commenting on the venues.

Performances will be held at venues such as the Antiga Fàbrica Estrella Damm, Casa Batlló, Palau Güell and the Sant Martí Auditorium, as well as new additions like the European Museum of Modern Art and Casa Vicens, among others.

As for the results of the 2025 edition, the free Ciutat de Clàssica concerts recorded an attendance rate of 98%, with a total of 3,698 people.

The organisers explained that since tickets sell out in less than two minutes every year once they go on sale, and in order to guarantee fair access, this year free tickets will be allocated by lottery.