Madrid, 11 March 2025. - Her Majesty Queen Sofía, Honorary President of the Reina Sofía School of Music, presided over the annual meeting of the Board of Trustees of the School, the main governing body of this leading institution for advanced musical training.

The President of the School, Paloma O’Shea, expressed her gratitude for the presence of Her Majesty Queen Sofía and welcomed representatives from public institutions: Paz Santa Cecilia Aristu, Director General of INAEM; Emilio Viciana, Regional Minister for Education, Science, and Universities of the Community of Madrid; and Santiago Herrero, Director of Cultural and Scientific Relations at AECID.

Many private patrons also attended the meeting to show their support for the School's work and learn about the upcoming developments for the coming months.

The General Director of the Reina Sofía School of Music, Julia Sánchez, presented the progress made by the School on its 2024/2028 Strategic Plan, outlining key milestones and objectives aimed at fostering the institution’s continued growth, both in its academic offerings and in its social impact and international projection.

Board members also had the opportunity to experience firsthand one of the School’s latest and most innovative initiatives: an immersive musical creation workshop. This allowed them to explore how music not only conveys emotions but also serves as a key tool for innovation, learning, and progress within society and the organizations that comprise it. This initiative is part of the recently launched partnership between the School and the company Musical Thinkers, which aims to revolutionize the way teams, individuals, and organizations—particularly in the corporate sector—develop creativity and leadership skills through the transformative power of music.

The Board of Trustees of the Reina Sofía School of Music is composed of a distinguished group of individuals representing various sectors of society, all committed to the School’s educational and artistic mission. As a leading international institution for the training of young musicians, the School welcomes new Board members this year: José Arnau, Vice President of Inditex; Agustín Vivancos, Founder and CEO of Jungle; and Antonio Pulido, President of Fundación Cajasol.

Madrid, February 25, 2025. – Inditex has expanded its collaboration with the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía by signing a new agreement that extends its sponsorship to the Chair of Composition. Inditex has been a sponsor of the School since 1997 through scholarships for its students. This extension of its support reaffirms the group's commitment to the School and its mission of training new generations of musicians.

The agreement was signed by the founding president of the School, Paloma O’Shea, and Inditex's CEO, Óscar García Maceiras. Also present at the event were Julia Sánchez and Marjorie Netange, CEO and Director of Development of the Escuela Reina Sofía, respectively; along with José Arnau, Vice Chairman of Inditex, who joins the Board of Trustees of the School, and Raúl Estradera, Director of Communication and Institutional Relations at Inditex.

The Chair of Composition at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, led by Professor Fabián Panisello, plays a fundamental role in the development of emerging talent in musical creation. In the 2024/2025 academic year, it includes six students: Diego Arévalo (Madrid, Spain, 1994); Onir García (La Piedad, Mexico, 1987); Daniel Alejandro Cristóbal (Salta, Argentina, 1995); Pablo Domínguez (Ciudad Real, Spain, 2000); Sevan Gharibian (Yerevan, Armenia, 2000); and Andrés Felipe Poveda (Bogotá, Colombia, 1994).

"Our School is very grateful to Inditex for this new support for the Chair of Composition. Inditex has been a long-standing sponsor that has always been attentive to the learning and development of its scholarship students. Today, they reaffirm their commitment to education and innovation, fostering the talent of our composition students to enrich the contemporary musical repertoire with their work,” said Paloma O’Shea.

Inditex's CEO highlighted: “As a fashion company, creativity and the pursuit of emotion and beauty are central to Inditex's DNA. We admire the work of the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, an international reference center known for the quality of its education, and we are grateful to take this new step in our collaboration with this Chair of musical innovation and talent development for new composers.”

With this alliance, Inditex strengthens its commitment to education, a fundamental pillar of its social responsibility strategy. Meanwhile, the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía takes another step in its mission to train the best musicians and composers of the future, always convinced of music's great power to transform individuals and societies.

Madrid, 19 February 2025 - With the aim of fostering dialogue between Art and Sustainability, Fundación EDP and the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía have launched the EDP GREEN STAGE project. This initiative seeks to support performing arts projects that creatively and originally address themes related to raising awareness of environmental issues facing our society.

Last November, a call for proposals was opened. From over twenty submissions, a jury composed of representatives from Fundación EDP, Escuela Reina Sofía, and public and private cultural managers and programmers selected three winning projects: “El Mar, la Mar” by Clara Montes and “Canto al Amazonas” by Nilo Verano, which will be presented at the first EDP GREEN STAGE event on 19 March 2025, and “Whisky en Kepler” by the Ferrando Brothers, which requires a longer production process and will be showcased at the second EDP GREEN STAGE event in 2026.

On Wednesday, 19 March at 18:30, at the Sony Auditorium of Escuela Reina Sofía, the first EDP GREEN STAGE event on Art and Sustainability will take place, structured in two parts.

The event will begin with the panel discussion “Challenges and Opportunities for Artists in a Sustainable World”, where renowned experts from the fields of art and sustainability will discuss how artists can act as agents of change in building a more sustainable future. The speakers, moderated by Pablo Maroño, include:

• Ana Álvarez, Director of Environmental Development at EDP Spain
• Paloma Orte, Head of Sustainability at Last Tour Group
• Fátima Sánchez, Director of Centro Botín
• Gonzalo Cabrera, General Director of Culture and Creative Industries of the Community of Madrid

Following the panel discussion, the Sony Auditorium stage will host the premiere presentation of two of the winning projects: “El Mar, la Mar” by Clara Montes and “Canto al Amazonas” by Nilo Verano.

The event is free to attend, and invitations will be available for download starting 10 March at www.escuelasuperiordemusicareinasofia.es.

El Mar, la Mar: A musical and poetic project aimed at raising public awareness of the need to care for and protect the planet’s seas and oceans. The performance creates a synergy between the latest work of singer and composer Clara Montes—a tribute to the poetry collection “Marinero en Tierra” by Rafael Alberti, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2025—and the transmission of values related to sustainability and environmental protection. In addition to Clara Montes, the performance features Chamo Díaz on piano, Kiriko Gutiérrez on double bass, and Malick MB on percussion.

Canto al Amazonas. A project by Colombian artist Nilo Verano that celebrates the richness of the Amazon, combining sound and visual art while raising awareness of the threats facing this vital ecosystem. Nilo’s voice blends Latin folk and jazz, conveying deep respect and admiration for the wisdom of the Amazonian peoples, the guardians of Mother Earth. The performance also features various musicians from Berklee Valencia, including guitar, cello, flute, drums, and percussion.

Whisky on Kepler: Refugees in Space. A chamber opera by the Ferrando Brothers with electronic music, focusing on humanity’s need to search for other planets to survive. The story follows the adventure of the first human on Kepler, where they must prove their humanity. The opera is a satire that uses humor and exaggeration to captivate the audience, while holding up a mirror to humanity—depicting us as a species capable of incredible technological and scientific achievements, yet unable to cooperate and protect our own planet.