1st Charity Concert Dedicated in Music & Cinema

From left to right. Luca Franceschi (President of Dianova International), Juan Echanove, Nejama Bergman (President of Dianova in Nicaragua) and Imanol Arias

The National Auditorium of the city of Madrid hosted the Santa Cecilia classical orchestra, under the direction of Cristóbal Soler, to help raise funds for Dianova’s Las Marias school in Nicaragua. The proceeds from the concert reached 30,000€, compared to the 36 955€ necessary to complete the project of providing water and lighting to the children of Las Marias school.


On October 29th, the National Auditorium of the city of Madrid hosted the Santa Cecilia classical orchestra, under the direction of Cristóbal Soler, a young music director who has recently been appointed as director of the renown Madrid’s Zarzuela theatre.

This charity concert was part of  fundraising campaign supported by Spanish actors Imanol Arias and Juan Echanove. The campaign, called “Llevaré Luz y agua” (I will bring water and light”), was launched to help finance major improvements to the water and electrical systems at Dianova’s Las Marias School in Nicaragua, an institution which provides housing and education to approximately 400 boys and girls whose families are for the most part disadvantaged.

The auditorium hosted about 1,700 attendees, resulting in a seating capacity filled of 75%, and 30 000 Euros were raised, compared to the 36 955€ which are still needed to complete the project. Those who wish to contribute to achieving the project of providing water and lighting to Las Marias’ pupils may do so through our dedicated web site at: www.llevareluzyagua.org. (in Spanish language)

The concert’s overture played “The Mission” soundtrack from the film of the same name, by Italian composer Ennio Morricone, a piece which was immediately followed by a moving presentation dialogue held by Spanish actors Imanol Arias and Juan Echanove. Both actors had a interesting exchange about the crucial importance of light, water and education, while emphasizing the power of music and cinema.

The Santa Cecilia orchestra played a number of the greatest music works ever, as such Mozart’s symphony N°25 in G minor, the Hungarian Dance N°5, from Charlie Chaplin’s hilarious scene as a barber shaving a man synchronously to Brahms’s famous melody (The Great Dictator), and Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty”, among others.

Concert’s attendees were particularly enthusiastic and as a reward the orchestra did two encores with a piece from “Pirates of the Caribbean” by German composer Hans Zimmer, and again, “Gabriel’s Oboe” the main theme for the 1986 film The Mission, by Italian composer Ennio Morricone.

At the end of the concert, the attendees could leave a personnal messages of support and sympathy in a guestbook which will be mailed to Dianova’s Las Marias School in Nicaragua