The Victoria de los Ángeles Year came to a close in Barcelona, Nov. 7.

This year-long celebration commemorated soprano Victoria de los Ángeles, one of the great ambassadors of Catalan culture. The soprano is known for spreading works by composers such as Montsalvatge, Toldrà, and Mompou worldwide, as well as traditional Catalan songs.

In the evening, the closing ceremony featured performances by soprano Irene Mas Salom and baritone Josep-Ramon Olivé,  with the Victoria de los Ángeles Symphony Orchestra and Noctes Cor de Cambra. Pedro Pardo conducted them in Fauré’s “Requiem.” This work was fundamental in the life of the soprano, who recorded it in 1963 with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, conducted by André Cluytens.

The event included speeches by the commissioner of the Victoria de los Ángeles Year, Marc Busquets, and the president of the Victoria de los Ángeles Foundation, Helena Mora, as well as the presence of the Minister of Culture, Sònia Hernández. The event was recognized as an “exceptional public interest” by the Government of Spain and was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts by the Ministry of Culture. The President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa chaired the ceremony, where he stated that “culture must be an essential part of the welfare state, since it structures society, educates it and provides it with identity”, and therefore it is necessary “to bring opera to all corners and to all audiences”.

This year the Victoria de los Ángeles Foundation produced more than 150 recitals, several exhibitions, a biography, and numerous international collaborations, which is helping the organization reach its goal of making Victoria de los Ángeles’ legacy accessible to all citizens.