IES Modesto Navarro has once again joined the programming of the 43rd National Zarzuela Week with a series of educational activities designed to engage young people with this lyrical genre. The school has organised an exhibition showcasing historical posters and costumes in the hall of its new building, alongside a meeting with first-year secondary school students featuring local soloist José Manuel León.
The exhibition displays posters from past editions of the zarzuela festival and a selection of costumes from well-known works, providing a visual insight into the evolution of this cultural event and the elements that define its performances.
The activities culminated in a musical experience in the auditorium, where José Manuel León performed the song 'El sembrador' a cappella before answering questions from the students. Eladio Maleno, the director of IES Modesto Navarro, praised the positive reception of the initiative and expressed the intention to continue it in the future.
In addition to the exhibition, this year the school included a musical activity with students from the music classroom, who performed several pieces on the xylophone alongside their teacher, Nieves Rodríguez. They also recorded a podcast and interviewed representatives from the ACAZ (Asociación Cultural de la Zarzuela).
During this event, a statuette of appreciation was presented to Ramón López, vice president of ACAZ, for his contributions to zarzuela and local culture. López acknowledged the involvement of educational institutions as a means to ensure generational continuity. He noted that many people still have a superficial understanding of Zarzuela Week, often limited to attending a performance, and emphasised the need to broaden this knowledge among young people.
The vice president of ACAZ revealed that the association is working on establishing a zarzuela school or workshop, which several young people are already participating in. Some of these participants will join the company this year to perform at the Teatro Tomás Barrera. He believes that initiatives like those at IES Modesto Navarro and IES Clara Campoamor, along with school workshops, help spark curiosity, encourage questions, and reveal the value of a genre closely linked to the identity of La Solana.
