This 2022 the Queretaro Philharmonic Orchestra celebrates its thirtieth anniversary with a concert that aims to revive the first historical recital in which Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 sounded
Jesús Almanza, director of the Querétaro State Philharmonic Orchestra (OFEQ), is happy to play again after a year and a half of silence, in which the cultural forums were closed victims of the pandemic. Optimistic about attracting a new audience, he sees 2022 as a year full of challenges that OFEQ faces with optimism, work and celebration.
And it is that in 2022 the Philharmonic Orchestra of the State of Querétaro turns 30, nothing simple, but satisfactory and of great pride. Almanza was present among the public at that first concert in April 1992, when a Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez auditorium full of people witnessed the first recital by a representative Philharmonic Orchestra of the state.
“I remember a full venue, with people grateful to have an orchestra for the first time, since this defines the cultural status of a city and a state. It changed the cultural aspect of Querétaro and cultural forums and movements began to open, the university choir was formed, for example. The opera was rescued,” Almanza explains.
The concert that was offered 30 years ago in the Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez auditorium was Symphony No. 9, one of the most emblematic compositions by Ludwig van Beethoven - who carried it out between 1818 and 1824 commissioned by the Philharmonic Society of London. The importance of this piece is such that it was declared a World Heritage Site in 2002.
For this reason, in remembrance of that first historical concert, for the OFEQ anniversary in April 2022, it is planned to play Symphony No. 9. “A work that also allows the orchestra, choirs, and teachers to shine,” says Almanza.
Similarly, the OFEQ will begin its first new year season on January 13 with a festive, Viennese concert, with Strauss waltzes that kick off the celebrations of the thirtieth anniversary, in which there will be surprise guests and an atmosphere of joy, both for the return to the stage with the public, as for the optimism of one more year with the Philharmonic Orchestra.
“People are eager for quality cultural events, such as those offered by the OFEQ. We closed the last season of 2021 very well, it was an intense season for all the musicians, teachers, with a lot of new music. This coming 2022 is a year of challenges, opportunities and positioning the orchestra among a new audience,” says Almanza.
The headquarters of the OFEQ is the Metropolitan Theater, a splendid stage box 12.5 meters high and 17.5 meters deep, with a capacity for 1,344 people and visibility towards the stage from any point in the venue. Stay tuned for the billboard launch, which will be announced the first week of January, and be sure to attend a unique and quality cultural show in the city of Querétaro.
