The Princess of Asturias Foundation

The Princess of Asturias Foundation is to open the “Murakami on the Shore” programme at 8:00pm this coming Wednesday 11th October at the Tabacalera Building in Gijón. The doors will open half an hour before, at 7:30pm. This cycle of events aims to pay tribute to the 2023 Princess of Laureate for Literature via concerts, round tables and shows designed to make his work better known to the general public. The installations at the Tabacalera Building can be visited between 11th and 15th October.

The event will begin with the performance of several pieces in tribute to the building’s past as a convent and tobacco factory. The female voices of the Princess of Asturias Foundation Choir will sing sacred music in honour of the Augustinian Sisters. Immediately afterwards, those attending will be able to enter the chapel and evoke the building’s female cigar makers through Leticia Baselgas’ Asturian post-folk rhythms. Next, there will then be a concert entitled Charlie Parker Plays Bossa Nova, in which a jazz septet will perform different pieces inspired by the book First Person Singular written by the Laureate. The installations may be visited after the musical performances.

Those who register in advance through the Foundation's website will have to pick up their tickets at the Paradiso bookstore in Gijón, where they will also get a paper mock-up of the vinyl LP Charlie Parker Plays Bossa Nova and a copy of the story of the same name, from Murakami's First Person Singular, key to this opening concert.

The Tabacalera building

The Tabacalera Building, made available for the occasion by Gijón City Council, is located in the heart of the neighbourhood of Cimadevilla and dates back to 1670. It became a convent for the Augustinian Recollect Sisters in 1679, the work of architects Ignacio de Palacio and Juan de San Miguel. As a result of the ecclesiastical confiscations of Mendizábal, in 1842 the building was secularized and transformed into a Tobacco Factory before it was finally closed in 2002. After a period of archaeological and technical investigations, during which remains of the primitive Roman nucleus of the city have come to light, the building is currently in the process of complete restoration.

Those attending the event should note that it is a space under construction, being neither air-conditioned nor fully accessible. Accordingly, it is advisable to wear comfortable shoes, pay attention to the signs and follow the instructions of staff at the venue at all times.

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