Asturias will take part in the Lorient Interceltic Festival with a delegation of 150 people to mark 40 years of institutional participation in this international event.

Asturias marks four decades at the Lorient Interceltic Festival

Asturias will take part in the 55th edition of the Lorient Interceltic Festival with an official delegation of 150 people, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the Principality’s first institutional presence at this international event, which began in 1986.

The Regional Minister for Culture, Language Policy and Sport, Vanessa Gutiérrez, presented the delegation that will represent the Principality at the festival – which will take place from this coming Friday until 9 August in the French city – at Laboral Ciudad de la Cultura. The event was also attended by the festival’s delegate in Asturias, Iñaki Sánchez Santianes, alongside representatives of the groups and artists making up the delegation.

This year’s edition, dedicated to Cornwall under the slogan Cornwall, in the heart of the Celtic Sea, will bring together representatives from the Celtic regions of Europe and the Americas for a programme featuring concerts, parades, exhibitions, cultural gatherings and educational activities.

Music, dance and traditional Asturian tunes in the Asturian line-up

Traditional music and dance will once again take centre stage with performances by the El Gumial Bagpipe Band, the L’Oriente-Llacín Ethnographic Group, Rubén Alba, Llevólu’l Sumiciu, Herbamora, Ferla Megía, Entós and Rellume.

Bagpiper Iñaki Sánchez Santianes will also perform as a soloist alongside Shaun Davey & L’Orchestre du Festival Interceltique. New to the line-up this year is La Tarabica, the bagpipe band from the Asturian Centre in Guadarrama (Madrid).

The Asturian bagpipe will once again take centre stage at the MacCrimmon Trophy, one of the festival’s most iconic competitions. Diego Lobo Tuñón, Pelayo Cordero, Pelayo Suárez and Nel Cortizo will compete in this international event. Furthermore, Diego Lobo will give a masterclass, whilst Francisco López Delgado and Eduardo Llosa will sit on the judging panel.

The delegation will also be present at the Interceltic Music Camp, where Julio Rodríguez will take part in the bouzouki section and Celia Nieto in the violin section.

Asturian folk music will be featured at the festival for the first time, represented by Alicia Villanueva Megido, Esteban Verdeja Martínez and Néstor Díaz González, winners of the 2nd Obdulia Álvarez La Busdonga National Asturianada Prize, who are joining the official delegation thanks to the collaboration between the Government of Asturias and the competition organisers.

Film and the visual arts round off the Asturian presence

The Principality’s representation will also include a screening of the film Muyeres, directed by Marta Lallana, and the exhibition Notes from Brittany: Spanish painters in French Finistère, curated by Luis Feás, which explores the historical and cultural links between Brittany and Spain.

With this participation, Asturias will once again be present at one of the leading international showcases for Celtic cultures, with a delegation bringing together music, dance, intangible heritage, contemporary creation, film and the visual arts to showcase the richness and diversity of Asturian culture.