Innovation and renewed continuity, keys to the new presidency of the Palau de la Música

The assembly of members of the Orfeó Català has recognized Joaquim Uriach as the new president of the institution, a position he will hold for four years and which also encompasses the functions of the presidency of the Fundació Orfeó Català-Palau de la Música Catalana, as established by its statutes. Uriach's candidacy was the only one presented for the elections and it was endorsed by the signature of 210 members of the Orfeó Català, more than double what was necessary.

The new board led by the former president and shareholder of the Uriach pharmaceutical group incorporates diverse profiles from the business, professional, or cultural world, among whom there are also members with a very close, recent or past, connection to the choral world represented by the institution and with a common point: the love for music and Catalan culture. Uriach's program is built on the legacy that has characterized the Palau until now, being faithful to its foundational values, such as excellence, participation, social commitment, and Catalan identity, as well as innovation and renewed continuity, which are established as central axes of his candidacy.

The Orfeó Català and the house choirs will continue to be the pillar of the entity, prioritizing the choir, the Choral School, and all activity focused on choral singing. Work will continue to have an "excellent, international and local" artistic program, and to promote the development of educational and social programs. Similarly, the line of promoting the Palau building as a world heritage site will continue, as well as the attention to the conservation, dissemination, and promotion of the documentary heritage safeguarded by the documentation center of the Orfeó Català.

The new candidacy wants to have close contact with civil society, making the Orfeó Català a prominent interlocutor within the cultural sphere, weaving new complicities with the country's institutions to create synergies and make the Palau and the Orfeó known throughout the world. In addition, it wants to generate a sense of community. And, in this same context, it wants to strengthen and grow relations with all members of the Orfeó Català, keeping the associative life of the entity alive, as well as bringing it closer to young people.

The incoming presidency will be attentive to new ways of obtaining economic resources, through a commitment to sustainability as an indispensable value today in resource management, and working to develop a global digital strategy for the institution, in order to improve the entity's management and also access to music and choral singing.

The new candidacy wants to have close contact with civil society, making the Orfeó Català a prominent interlocutor within the whole of culture

In that sense, health restrictions reduced capacity and fear of contagion affected the number of attendees at visits and concerts. Despite this, the Palau remained the only institution that, at the peak of the return to normality, continued to offer shows, unlike the rest of Europe, an initiative that has been recognized internationally. To reverse this situation, the new board will work on a line of action to recover audiences and attract local and foreign tourism, with Joan Oller at the head of the artistic direction, with the aim of also seeking ways to strengthen the attraction of young people.