The second edition of the international artistic residencies promoted by the Institut Ramon Llull together with the Festival Clàssics and the Directorate General of Cultural Heritage of the Government of Catalonia is about to begin. From 12 to 16 October, the Greek musician Giorgos Manolakis and the Catalan musical duo Tarta Relena will join forces at the Archaeology Museum of Catalonia in Empúries.

The encounter will connect artists who share Mediterranean musical roots, and will foster direct contact between Tarta Relena, who explore Greek epic and tragedy, and Manolakis, one of the most renowned Greek composers and performers of the Cretan lute. It will also cast a light on the archaeological site of Empúries from an artistic perspective.

The fruits of this creative residency may be seen on 16 October at the Paral·lel 62 hall in Barcelona, as part of the programme of the Festival Clàssics.

The international artistic residency programme seeks to promote a space and a time of quality for professionals and creators in the fields of the humanities, the sciences and the arts, both from Catalonia and from abroad, within a heritage site of Catalonia. The MAC Empúries is the only site on the Iberian Peninsula where remnants of Greek culture coexist with those of Roman civilization. It is also the gateway through which classical culture entered: ten centuries of history that irrevocably shaped the ancient peoples who inhabited the site. For this reason, it is an exceptional place in which to organise residencies on intercultural dialogue, on migration and on classical culture.

It is a meeting point for fostering reflection, exchange and development on different levels.

The residency programme of the Institut Ramon Llull is structured along three main lines of work: to foster access to the residency ecosystem; to promote strategic agreements for exchange and collaboration with those international residencies that are key in each field; and to promote the creation, vitality and strengthening of its own residency network.

Tarta Relena is an a cappella and ambient electronic duo formed by Marta Torrella and Helena Ros. They incorporate elements of Mediterranean traditional music, both past and present, as well as songs from the oral tradition. They sing in Catalan, Occitan, Spanish, Mozarabic, Latin, Greek, Judeo-Spanish and Italian.

Giorgos Manolakis is today regarded as one of the greatest virtuosos of his generation on the Cretan lute (laouto) and the bouzouki. He has worked with musicians and composers of great renown (Ross Daly, Hainides, Naseer Shamma, Psarantonis, Sokratis Malamas, Zohar Fresco...).

The first edition of this international artistic residency in Empúries took place last year and featured the British poet Alice Oswald with the Mallorcan singer, composer and performer Joana Gomila, the Catalan poet Maria Callís and the independent art curator Alexandra Laudo.