Josu Okiñena in Concert: Aita Donostia, 100 Years

Josu Okiñena & Noelia Ibáñez celebrate Aita Donostia’s centenary. This special concert by pianist Josu Okiñena commemorates the centenary of Illustrations musicales pour la Vie Profonde de Saint François d’Assise (1926), paying tribute to Aita Donostia, a key figure in bridging art music and Basque popular tradition. The evening will include a brief introductory talk offering insight into his work as composer, researcher, and collector.

The program unfolds in two formats—solo piano and mezzo-soprano with piano, featuring Noelia Ibáñez—and traces a musical journey that places Donostia at the center of a rich lineage. From historical repertoire by Ibarzabal, Larrañaga, and Anchieta, to the renewal of the early 20th century with Usandizaga, Guridi, and Zubeldía, the concert also reflects the European influence of Maurice Ravel.
The repertoire includes Donostia’s emblematic works such as The Nightingale of Errotazuri, Wedding Group, and several French mélodies, alongside pieces such as Ravel’s Two Hebrew Melodies and Zubeldía’s Sketches of a Basque Afternoon.

An intimate and evocative performance that invites audiences to rediscover Basque music as a space where tradition, modernity, and international dialogue converge.

Josu Okiñena, pianist, researcher, and professor from San Sebastián (Donostia), has devoted more than two decades to classical music, with a particular focus on twentieth-century Basque composers. His work combines performance, musicological research, and the preservation and dissemination of Basque musical heritage. He specializes in research on historical performance practice and serves as Artistic Director of the Aita Donostia Festival. He has also prepared critical editions of works by Aita Donostia and other Basque composers.

Mezzo-soprano Noelia Ibáñez, from Vitoria-Gasteiz, specializes in the vocal repertoire of Basque and Spanish composers. She regularly takes part in projects devoted to the recovery and dissemination of this musical heritage and has recorded works for voice and piano by Aita Donostia, Pascual Aldave, and Félix Lavilla. Her international career includes studies in Bucharest, Geneva, and Paris, as well as numerous distinctions and appearances in opera productions and concert programs.