The Cartagena contest celebrates a special South Korea from July 18 to 26 with groups like Leenalchi, Jambinai, Bewave, or Youn Soun Nah
Thursday, April 10, 2025 �|� Viewed: 507 times
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La Mar de Músicas began its journey in 1995, in a very different Cartagena than today. An assignment to the municipal technicians of the City Council of Cartagena – Paco Martín and José Luis Cegarra, to bring the city to life in the month of July, was the beginning of a festival that has become a reference in Europe – when it comes to world music or global music – and this year will celebrate its 30th edition joining the Korean wave that is sweeping the world and therefore hosting a Special South Korea. It is the largest cultural landing that the Asian country has made in Spain to date, with a program that combines music, art, cinema, and literature.
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The thirtieth edition of the festival was presented this Thursday, April 10, by the mayor Noelia Arroyo, who was accompanied by the councilor of Culture, Ignacio Júdenes, and the general director of Culture of the City Council, Eugenio González. Also present at the event, held at Espacio Cuarentaytres del Puerto, were the Culture Councilor, Carmen Conesa; the director of ICA, Manuel Cebrián; the director of the Korean Cultural Center in Spain, Jaekwang Shin; as well as other members of the Corporation, sponsors of the event, and representatives of the local, regional, and national cultural sector.
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«South Korean culture has conquered the planet in recent years, from cinema to series, from K-pop to literature, from design to gastronomy. But behind the global phenomenon, there is a milenary history and a very interesting artistic sensibility, which we will discover and celebrate in this special edition,» explained the mayor.
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The mayor highlighted the work done by the municipal technicians since the creation of the event, as it has been «thirty years of opening Cartagena to the world and opening the world to Cartagena.» In this way, «this 30th anniversary will be a tribute to the past, a celebration of the present, and a push towards the future,» added Arroyo, who also thanked the entities and companies that have supported the festival over these three decades.
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Although the event will host parallel activities throughout the month of July, during the nine days of the musical programming, from July 18 to 26, 44 concerts will be held featuring bands from South Korea, Mali, Mexico, Argentina, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Senegal, Brazil, Venezuela, Portugal, Pakistan, Bolivia, France, and Spain.
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FULL PROGRAM
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This Special South Korea will showcase the musical breadth of the Asian country in this southeastern Spanish city, with groups ranging from K-pop, possibly the most fashionable style among young people worldwide, with W24 and Bewave, to bands leading a new era of Korean music, combining the traditional with the contemporary, like Jambinai, Leenalchi, Dal:um, and Chudahye Chagis. Joining this showcase of Korean music will be the jazz diva Youn Sun Nah, one of the most prominent figures in the independent scene, Sunwoojunga, and the electronic sounds of Hypnosis Therapy and Fat Hamster & Kang New.
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Following the Korean program, the presence of artists and bands from our country is very important in this 30th edition. Spain is experiencing a musical moment very much in line with what La Mar de Músicas has reflected throughout its history: music where the roots, folklore, and land are heard. This musical movement, increasingly important in our country, finds in this festival its great ally.
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In 2025, Cartagena will host Queralt Lahoz, La Tania, Le Parody, Valeria Castro, Sílvia Pérez Cruz with Salvador Sobral, Tarta Relena, Carlos Ares, Dereck V. Bulcke, Guitarricadelfuente, Ortiga, Sanguijuelas del Guadiana, Kiko Veneno, El Canijo de Jerez, Diego Ratón, Muchachito and Tomasito in the G5 lineup. Also present will be three of the young artists who best represent the current flamenco scene, Yerai Cortés, Ángeles Toledano, and María Terremoto. The singer Mala Rodríguez will celebrate the 25 years of her iconic album Lujo Ibérico. In addition, the musicians from Murcia, Maestro Espada, will receive the Paco Martín Award for the revelation group of global music. Representing Cartagena itself will be El Klan de los Dedeté, celebrating their 30th anniversary, and Río Viré.
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The music from Africa and Latin America has always been very present at La Mar de Músicas, and in this edition, major names from their scenes will be in Cartagena. The golden voice of Africa, the Malian Salif Keïta, will present his latest acoustic work. The Nigerian Seun Kuti, along with the band that accompanied his father, the great Fela Kuti, will headline the evening dedicated to afrobeat, in a double bill with one of the current top bands, the British Ezra Collective. From Senegal, the emblematic Orchestra Baobab will arrive.
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The opening concert this year will feature one of the most important voices in all of Hispanic America, Natalia Lafourcade. She is the Latin artist with the most Grammy awards in history: four Grammy awards, the Anglo-Saxon ones, and 18 awards in the Latin edition. Undoubtedly, she is one of the most influential figures in Spanish music. From Argentina, one of the great exponents of its rock, Conociendo Rusia, will arrive. The musician, a star in his country, following in the footsteps of Andrés Calamaro, Charly García, Spinetta, or Fito Páez, is firmly making his way in Spain. And from Bolivia, Luzmila Carpio, guardian of Andean wisdom singing to the world from the heights of her culture. From Brazil, Toquinho will be present, celebrating his sixty years on stage and the festival’s award, which this year aims to pay tribute to one of the most important artists in Brazilian popular music.
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Formations where Latin America and Spain come together will also be present at La Mar de Músicas. With musicians from Venezuela and Spain, we have �antamarta, and from Argentina, with our country, Calequi and Las Panteras.
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In addition, two musical gems complete the program. From Pakistan, Arooj Aftab, a sound alchemist who intertwines the mysticism of ghazal with the subtlety of jazz and electronics. From France, the festival will feature Clara Ysé, the new voice of French chanson.
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SEASON TICKETS AND TICKETS
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Season tickets for the festival will go on sale starting Monday, April 14, at 12:00 on the website www.lamardemusicas.com. 100 tickets for CIM will be released at a price of 80 €, and 300 tickets for the Auditorio Paco Martín, at 120 €. Tickets for each concert will go on sale on Tuesday, April 15, at the same time. The parallel activities will be announced in the month of June.
La Mar de Músicas is a festival organized by the City Council of Cartagena and sponsored by the Government of the Region of Murcia, through the Festivals Región de Murcia brand, the Tourism Institute, and the Institute of Cultural Industries, as well as the Government of Spain, through the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music. It is also sponsored by Repsol, Estrella de Levante, La Verdad, the Polytechnic University of Cartagena, and the Ministry of Culture. The festival collaborates with Casa Asia, Talleres M. Gallego, Lhicarsa, Alsa, Hidrogea, Ikea, and Radio 3.
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