Foto: ©Sergi Panizo
– The performance marked the end of Sabadell’s year as the Capital of Catalan Culture
– The production was possible thanks to a specific collaboration by the Banco Sabadell Foundation
On 26 January, the La Faràndula theatre in Sabadell became the epicentre of a unique spectacle in which emotions, resilience and forgiveness were the protagonists. All thanks to the collaboration of 150 people, including youths, adults, professionals and amateurs, from all over the city, who took part as artists in the opera performance Push!.
The production, composed by the UK’s Howard Moody, tells the moving story of Belgian pianist and Holocaust survivor Simon Gronowski. This opera production was possible thanks to the Fundació Òpera a Catalunya foundation and the Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès symphonic orchestra, through a specific collaboration by the Banco Sabadell Foundation and the Sabadell Town Hall.
With the aim of turning it into an open initiative that promotes culture and performing arts in Sabadell, and to provide citizens with easier access to culture, several different groups from the city took part in bringing the opera Push! to the stage. Specifically, 130 singers from four choirs in Sabadell (Coral Belles Arts de Sabadell, Coral Els Notes, Cor Jove, and Cor Ohana from the Escuela Municipal de Música y Conservatorio de Sabadell), in addition to 154 people from the Cor Amics de l’Òpera de Sabadell choir and the Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès symphonic orchestra.
Cecilia Milá, head of external relations at the Banco Sabadell Foundation, described her experience as a spectator of the performance: “The silence is absolute. A spotlight shines on a single person on stage and then a voice off-stage begins to tell the story that we are about to witness. Around 150 people of all ages are on the stage of Sabadell’s La Faràndula theatre, some of them professional singers, others who have never before set foot on this stage. The arts, and music in particular, have the power the bring people together and to welcome anyone who wishes to participate.”
“What we as an audience witnessed was an unforgettable experience. Emotions took hold of us, not only because of the harrowing and heart-wrenching story of Simon Gronowski, but also because of the magic created by the music and the set design that served as the backdrop for that story throughout the production.” Cecilia Milá, head of external relations at the Banco Sabadell Foundation,
The presence of Simon Gronowski in the audience added to the emotionally charged performance. “What we as an audience witnessed was an unforgettable experience. Emotions took hold of us, not only because of the harrowing and heart-wrenching story of Belgian pianist and lawyer Simon Gronowski, a Holocaust survivor, who was actually there as a member of the audience, but also because of the magic created by the music and the set design that served as the backdrop for that story throughout the production.
Music is truly a driver of transformation and union. The children who took part in the opera Push! will never forget what it was like. It was an incredibly valuable experience for them.”
Without a doubt, the performance of Push! in Sabadell not only paid homage to the themes of resilience and hope, but it was also a celebration of the power that music has to bring people together and transform lives.
