‘FAMILIAR VOICES’ celebrates the fluidity of language, by bringing together a selection of classic literature from both ethnicities to hear their work read in the language of the other.

www.costasur.com and In The Write Light are proud to present ‘Familiar voices’, an evening of poetic translation and music, celebrating the best of Spanish and Irish culture on the 24th of June in Tarifa.

Both the Spanish and English language boasts some of the most prolific and enduring literary voices of the twentieth century. But how often do English-speaking audiences get to hear a Spanish author in English and visa versa?

Discover Lorca’s vitality and Hernandez's mystery when read in English; Joyce’s eccentricities and the magic of Irish Folklore in Spanish. Hear the contemporary compositions of poets from local group Guadalmesi and local writing centre www.inthewritelight.com.

This is an event, which draws on the power of language to transcend borders and create magic from the mundane.

Throughout the evening a harmonic medley of music will have the audience grooving to gipsy jazz, flamenco, Irish traditional and soulful chill-out beats.

For lovers of language and musical fusion, this is an evening not to be missed.


FAMILIAR VOICES PERFORMERS

Classic literature in Spanish

Guadalmesi members will be reading the following extracts from Irish Literature:

Lady Gregory’s: ‘The Banshee’

W.B. Yeats: ‘The Tower’ – selection of poems

James Joyce: ‘Ulysses’ – extract from Chapter 18

Samuel Beckett: ‘Waiting for Godot’ – extract from Act 1

The Guadalmesi performers are Tomas Pico and Milagros Salvatierra. Tomas is ex-director of Tarifa’s local theatre while Milagros has participated in many cultural projects in the town. Both have long associations with both theatre and cinema.

Classic literature in English

The following Spanish works will be performed in English:

Vicente Huidobro: ‘Poetics’, ‘Sad Man’, ‘Autumn’

Miguel Hernandez: ‘The Prison Poems’ – selected poems

Rosalia de Castro: ‘To My Mother’ – selected poems

Federico Garcia Lorca: selected poems

These works will be performed by David Butler who is education officer with the James Joyce centre in Dublin as well as a published poet and novelist. He has also travelled extensively throughout Spain and South America. The second reader is Maria Maguire, a seasoned actress who is involved with various theatre groups in Dublin.

Music

Spanish Musicians

Coro de camara ‘Ars Moiendi’: a group of young Tarifenos whose music blends Renaissance and Baroque vocals with contemporary rhythms. Their performance includes a selection of Lorca’s works adapted to music; includes ‘Tierra Seca’ and ‘Baladilla de la tres rios’.

Tarifa Folk: is a group of folk musicians from Tarifa who perform a selection of local traditional folk music taken from the Romancero Gitano de Garcia Lorca and the poems of Antonio Machado.

Carmen Tizo: is a singer who music interprets the Hispanic philosophy and investigates the lyrical tradition of the Campo de Gibraltar.

Ana Sena: participates with various local theatre groups and is a member of the Coral de Tarifa. She will perform an interpretation of Nana, the poem by Lorca.

Belle Ville Trio: are a group of three young musicians who describe their sound as ‘gipsy jazz’. Mixing it up with traditional guitar, rhythm guitar and cello, they draw on a wide variety of influences from traditional Spanish, jazz and blues.

Irish Musicians

Shay Cotter: is a singer songwriter based in Dublin. He has performed with international names such as David Gray, Tracy Chapman and the Gipsy Kings. His unique sound mixes folk, blues and pop melodies with his poetic and varied lyrics.

Art

Roger Cummiskey: is an Irish artist who has been living in Spain for the last three years. His watercolours draw on key figures in Irish literary history such as James Joyce and Samuel Becket. His paintings are a unique and enigmatic tribute to Irish heritage

Bettina Eriksen: is a Danish artist based on the Costa del Sol. Her vibrant oil paintings pay homage to Hispanic culture depicting the energetic moves of traditional dance. The swirling colours that clash and collide across the canvas fearlessly evoke the passion of Latin culture.