The International Cervantes Festival

The International Cervantes Festival (FIC), popularly known as "The Cervantes", is held every year in the city of Guanajuato and the city of León, located in the center of the United Mexican States. Guanajuato is a small colonial city and state León is the largest city of Guanajuato. The festival was born in the mid-twentieth century, when even the interludes of Miguel de Cervantes is represented in the streets of Guanajuato various cities. In 1972, with support from the federal government, the initiative of the wife of President Echeverria, Zuño de Echeverria Sra.Esther more traditional artistic representations attractions were added to give the festival an international aspect. Since then it has grown to be one of the four largest festivals of its kind in the world. March 2 The FIC is a member of the European Festivals Association and the Asian Association of Festivals teatrales. Addition to government sponsorship, the festival receives contributions from private sponsors

From the 2013 edition, the Festival will feature two themes that will guide your program like threads of a narrative in which the audience can get involved. The first, entitled The Art of freedom, is dedicated to honoring those artists from different periods and disciplines that have faced violence, discrimination or injustice, and have reacted to adversity or fear through their works. Viktor Ullmann, a prisoner in the Nazi concentration camp of Theresienstadt, Jose Bergamin, exiled after the Spanish Civil War writer, passing through Sarajevo by Goran Bregovic, the USSR Prokofiev and Shostakovich or Marcela Rodríguez Juárez City and Mario Bellatin , viewers will have the opportunity to follow the creative path random who faces the horror and barbarism.

For his second axis, the Festival has decided to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of Verdi and Wagner fostering a playful confrontation between them. The Verdi vs. program Wagner includes contrasting works of both composers-from The Flying Dutchman to Réquiem-, concerts by artists such as Mexican and Italian Arturo Chacón Barbara Frittoli and piano transcriptions by Cyprien Katsaris, Abdiel Vázquez and Edison Quintana and verbal duels between Verdi and Wagner, that will allow the public to choose their favorite (or choose both composers).

Despite not being a very populous city, Guanajuato, where the festival takes place, is culturally very Rica.4 The wealth generated by the exploitation of the mines during the colonial period began the tradition of the theater and other events cultural to satisfy the desires of the middle classes and alta.4 4 It is traditional that the city sponsor concerts, theater and dance set, not only in theaters but also in many places pequeñas.4 in 1953, Enrique Ruelas, professor University of Guanajuato, initiated an annual theatrical show entitled the Starters by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. In 1972, he founded the Cervantes Symposium, symposium was conducted between June and September as an extension of theatrical activity dedicated to the author of Don Quixote. That same year, President Luis Echeverría Álvarez proposed creating an international cultural festival based in the city of Acapulco; however, the tradition of The Guanajuato Entremeses prevailed over any other motivation for Guanajuato was selected as the site. Thus the idea of the first international event of 1972 was conjugated to the shows from fourteen countries, including Mexico. So also the 1972 event was formally considered as the foundation of festival.3

Quickly the festival drew the attention of renowned characters as Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who attended in 1975 In 1976, the Ministry of Education, the State of Guanajuato, the namesake city and the University of Guanajuato established by decree the creation of an organizing committee to invite both Mexican artists of different nationalities. Some of the first to be invited were Cantinflas Mario Moreno and Dolores del Río. The committee continued in charge of the Festival, working with the National Council for Culture and the Arts, the National Institute of Fine Arts and the Institute of Culture of Guanajuato. In 1978, Juan Carlos I de Borbón and Sofia of Spain attended as guests of honor.3

In the 1980s, the festival featured performances by Lazar Berman, Mercedes Sosa, the New York Philharmonic, Joan Baez, Gilbert Becaud, Mario Lavista, Guillermo Velazquez and Lions in the Sierra de Xichú, the National Ballet of Canada, the Dance Theatre of Alwin Nikolais, the Bolshoi, Sankai Juku Theatre, Scena STU Theatre and the Puppet Theatre Hungría.3

In 1989, UNESCO declared the city of Guanajuato Cultural Heritage, which allowed the restoration of most of its colonial and the nineteenth-century architecture, including teatros.4

During the last decade of the twentieth century artists participating in the festival as the Amsterdam Guitar Trio, Voices of Change Quintet Vienna, Guadalupe Pineda, Krzysztof Jakowicz, Krystyna Borucinska, Kronos Quartet, Madredeus, the Open Theatre in Belgrade the Lindsay Kemp Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company.3

From 2000, the custom of designating both Mexican states and countries or regions as special guests began. In 2001 the Oceania region was invited along with the state of Veracruz. The performances of these years included those of Hélène Grimaud, Eugenio Toussaint, John Fornell and Los Van Van, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Enrique Bunbury, Los Tigres del Norte, Pantheon Rococo, Meno Fortas and Les 7 Doigts of Main.3

The city was declared "Capital Cervantina America" in 2005, which resulted in the federal government coined silver coin conmemorativa.3

In 2010, the 38th edition of the festival was dedicated to the celebration of the Bicentennial of Independence and Centennial of the Mexican Revolution. Three Mexican states, Chihuahua, Michoacán and Querétaro, along with three countries, Argentina, Colombia and Chile were the special guests, as they also celebrated their bicentennial that same year.3 The 2010 edition was 3161 artists from thirty-one countries, with special emphasis on traditional music and dance mexicanas.2

The 2011 edition brought together artists from twenty countries 2800, in a variety of genres from classical and folk music to techno music and outdoor theater shows recent plays and other works of the last century, composed by writers renombre.5 Moreover, the issue revolves around which the festival is the environment, as expressed by the theme "Gifts of Nature". Special guests are Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Mexican state of Nayarit.6 7 Among the artists include: the Oslo Camerata, Geir Henning Braaten, Knut Reiersrud and Mari Boine, 7 staging of Il Postino 8 the Philharmonic

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