The Embassy of Spain, through Instituto Cervantes and its cultural and education offices, has announced a diverse lineup of events for April ranging from international film screenings to music master classes and large-scale art exhibitions.
The month’s programming is anchored by the celebration of “Día del Libro,” or International Book Day, on 25 April. The festival will feature poetry readings, storytelling sessions, free Spanish language classes, and gastronomy. A highlight this year includes a creative writing workshop for local students led by Atrapavientos, a Spanish collective specializing in children’s literature. The traditional “Escribe el Quijote” event and various book signings will also return as mainstay attractions.
Music and cinema take center stage early in the month, beginning with an 6 April screening of the film “Soy Nevenka” at the University of the Philippines Diliman. the event will be held at 2 p.m. at the Conference Hall of the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies. On 8 April, Suzana Stephanovic, the principal cellist of the Spanish Radio Television Orchestra, will conduct a master class for students at the UST Conservatory of Music. A Belgrade native, Stephanovic is a renowned educator who frequently prepares youth orchestras across Spain, Ireland and Croatia.
Public art remains a key fixture of the embassy’s outreach. Pedestrians in Makati can still view “Sorolla: A Walk through the Light” in the Ayala-Greenbelt underpass, which features life-size reproductions of works by Joaquín Sorolla, known as the “Master of Light.” Additionally, the Spanish art group Boa Mistura has debuted two permanent murals in the city, including a basketball court in Tejeros, Makati, titled “UNYON,” and a wall in Fort Santiago titled “TAGPUAN.”
Several long-term exhibitions continue through the season, including “Mezcla: Interwoven Cultures and the Mantón de Manila,” which is on display at the Ayala Museum through 14 June. At the Centro de Turismo in Intramuros, the permanent exposition “Four Centuries of Spanish Engineering Overseas” remains open to the public. Outside of the capital, the National Museum in Cebu is hosting “Classics of Philippine Cartography from the 16th to the 20th Centuries,” which runs through 30 June.