Bardón's "Passion and Life" Program Opens Canary Islands Religious Music Festival

The 20th Canary Islands Festival of Religious Music is once again highlighting the organ as a key instrument for spiritual reflection. This year, Canary Islander organist Juan Luis Bardón will present his second program, "Passion and Life." The festival aims to showcase the organ's deep expressive power through a series of concerts across the islands.

Bardón's performances are designed to turn concert venues into places where sound, faith, and silence meet. His "Passion and Life" program takes listeners on a journey through important sacred music, from the grand Baroque era to modern pieces. It aims to show how the organ can express both divine majesty and the deepest personal feelings.

The concert series kicks off this Thursday in Tenerife. The first performance will be at 8:00 PM at the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia in Puerto de la Cruz. Bardón will then head to La Palma for a concert on Sunday, the 8th, at the Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de las Angustias in Los Llanos de Aridane. The next weekend, the program moves to Gran Canaria with two dates: Saturday, the 14th, at the Church of San Vicente Ferrer in Valleseco, and Sunday, the 15th, at the Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The concerts in La Palma and Gran Canaria will both start at 12:00 PM.

The music played will be different for each location. In Tenerife, Bardón has chosen pieces by Heinrich Scheidemann, Antonio Lotti, Nicolas de Grigny, and Johann Sebastian Bach. He will also perform his own work, "Partite diverse sopra O filii et filiae." For the concerts in La Palma and Gran Canaria, the program will feature music by Juan Cabanilles, Pablo Bruna, Jean-François Dandrieu, Johann Kuhnau, and Bach, plus another original piece by Bardón: an "Improvisation on O filii et filiae." This varied selection highlights the organ's rich history and wide range of expression.

Born in La Orotava in 1994, Bardón started his musical journey by studying piano with Anna Kovacs. He earned a professional degree from the Conservatory of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and a degree in Art History from the University of La Laguna. His final university project, "Spanish Organ Music in the Context of the Motu Proprio (1903)," was overseen by Professor Rosario Álvarez Martínez. He further developed his organ skills in Granada and at the Canary Islands Superior Conservatory of Music, also attending many master classes. This strong educational and practical background makes him a thoughtful performer of sacred music.