Following in the footsteps of Gustavo Dudamel, Diego Matheuz, aged 27, is a product of the internationally acclaimed Venezuelan system, a network of children's and youth orchestras that has been an important source of new musical talent. Gustavo Dudamel, star of the educational network founded 36 years ago by José Antonio Abreu, is now music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Following his steps, Diego Matheuz has taken the leap to Europe at the hand of Claudio Abbado and is now musical director of the legendary Teatro La Fenice in Venice. Guest conductor for some of the best orchestras in Europe, Matheuz has conducted throughout Europe, as well as in China and Japan. This will be his first time in Spain, conducting for the Basque National Orchestra. As of today, April 11, Diego Matheuz will join the Basque National Orchestra to prepare and conduct the five scheduled concerts. The programme will feature Tres cantos a Edurne by Mario Lavista, the viola arrangement from Concerto No. 1 for Cello and Orchestra by Saint-Saëns, and Sheherazade, the symphonic suite by Rimsky-Korsakov.

Tres Cantos a Edurne, third edition of the Tesela project. The concerts will open with a premiere performance promoted through the Tesela project. With the exclusive collaboration from the BBVA Foundation, Tesela is a project aimed at commemorated the 30th anniversary of the Basque National Orchestra by commissioning composers of international renown to write pieces for the BNO. Tres cuentos a Edurne, by Mexican composer Mario Lavista, is a piece of religious music consisting of three short parts played one after the other without interruption. Much like a pictorial triptych, each part has its own expression and feeling, yet all three parts share a common thread.

Music and literature come together to create a work of art in its own right, a unique piece that goes beyond the mere fusion of artistic disciplines. "Viñetas del Nuevo Mundo" not only the links the New World of the American continent, but also the world of literature and music as it comes alive on the stage.

As far as the music is concerned, the programme also embraces the idea of a journey, a connection between the Basque Country and the United States presented through the work of Kirmen Uribe, a kind of soundtrack underscoring the words of the poet. Much like the selected excerpts, the music offers infinitely nuanced sounds that reflect the figure of a person searching for an identity. The soundtrack is a mix of Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, Itsasoan from Rapsodia Bascongada by Aita Donostia, Bernstein's Candide Overture, Barber's Adagio for Strings and Dvorák's Symphony From the New World. A reading with a dramatic twist by Kirmen Uribe and elaborate lighting will draw attention to the idea of a journey between the two sides of the Atlantic.

On previous occasions the Orchestra has included dramatic works in its Season Concert programmes, including Honneger's King David, Shostakovitch's Baba Yar symphony with Xabier Elorriaga as narrator, and Vita by Aragüés, featuring poems by Bernardo Atxaga recited by Andoni Alemán. However, this is the first time a programme has been designed around excerpts from a novel read by the author himself. Kirmen Uribe has done a number of multimedia projects combining poetry with different artistic disciplines. Most noteworthy are Bar Puerto, a combination of poetry, music, video and oral history, and a book and CD entitled Zaharregia, txikiegia agian the product of a series of recitals in New York.

Dutch conductor Lawrence Renes will be in charge of the musical direction of the show. After his debut as guest conductor for the BNO's 2010 concert season, Lawrence Renes will be joining us again.

The Basque National Orchestra turns 30 this year. It was in early January 1982 that the first musicians were invited to take part in the auditions set up for the purpose of creating a new orchestra. The BNO was officially founded on 20 April that year and has continued to make a name for itself as one of the leading orchestras in Spain. Today the BNO boasts 7000 season subscribers and more than 150,000 viewers who have enjoyed the BNO's 100-plus concerts a year (Season Concerts, Miramón Matinées, KlasikAT, Family Concerts, Concerts for Schools, concert tours, exchange programmes, Orkestra Herrietan, etc.). The Orchestra also has numerous recordings to its name.

To commemorate the anniversary, the Basque National Orchestra has opted to create new music through TESELA, a project that will see the light of day over course of the next 12 months. TESELA will premiere a series of eight works by eight accomplished composers from around the world. Tesserae or tesselas (Tesela in Spanish) are the small tiles used in a mosaic, the leit motiv in this particular mosaic being Basque culture. This initiative has been made possible by the exclusive support of Fundación BBVA, an institution deeply committed to the promotion of cultural creation. In this Season Concert Programme, the Orchestra will premiere the first of the pieces, Zortziko, written by English composer Michael Finissy. The project itself will be presented at the end of January, coinciding with the second premiere and the presence of the composer.

The Orchestra also kicks off the year with a well-deserved tribute to its founder and first president, Imanol Olaizola. The event took place on 13 January at the Kursaal Auditorium in San Sebastián as part of the 6th Season Concert programme, conducted by Andrés Orozco-Estrada.