Tenerife Contemporary Music Festival Returns to Auditorio de Tenerife This Weekend

The Tenerife Contemporary Music Festival (FMUC) returns to the Auditorio de Tenerife this weekend, showcasing a blend of classical repertoire and modern performance styles.

The festival kicks off this Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Chamber Hall with the premiere of Variations on Canarian Themes, a piece commissioned by Orotava-born musician Francis Hernández. Performed by the Hesperia Brass Band and conducted by Domenica Giannone, the work reimagines Teobaldo Power’s Canarian Songs by blending them with African-American rhythms, jazz-inspired harmonies, and sounds inspired by the sea.

The focus shifts to percussion for the remainder of the weekend, with both Saturday and Sunday performances starting at 7:30 p.m.

On Saturday, Polish percussionist Marta Klimasara will perform alongside Andrea Domínguez, María Vera, and Verónica Cagigao. Their program explores the evolution of the instrument, moving from the complex structures of Iannis Xenakis to the physical intensity of Corporel and Dances of Earth and Fire. Students from the Professional Conservatory of Tenerife and the Higher Conservatory of the Canary Islands will open the evening.

The festival concludes on Sunday with a recital by acclaimed Polish percussionist and educator Marianna Bednarska. Her eclectic program bridges the gap between the Baroque era—featuring the music of Johann Sebastian Bach—and 20th-century composers, including Astor Piazzolla, Georges Aperghis, and Jesús Torres. Students from the Higher Conservatory of Music of the Canary Islands will again open the event.

By pairing internationally recognized artists with emerging talent from local music schools, the FMUC continues to foster an essential intergenerational dialogue that keeps contemporary music thriving in the Canary Islands.