Vocalia Taldea began its journey in 2000. Created at the initiative of its current director Basilio Astulez, Vocalia Taldea is a project in which the searches and concerns of a group of female music professionals from the Basque Country crystallize. Their commitment is focused on the firm intention of being a stable vocal group that accesses a repertoire that, due to musical and vocal demands, is not usually performed regularly.

Vocalia Taldea currently has 36 singers from Álava, Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, Navarra and La Rioja and with extensive experience in the choral world. Its risky programming and careful staging make the group a benchmark in the current choral scene.

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Vocalia Taldea performs a wide range of repertoire for women's choir, from classical periods to contemporary music, both Basque and international. Likewise, it carries out intense research work on the repertoire of the 20th and 21st centuries, which allows innovation and expansion of the group's expressive potential.

Vocalia Taldea has recorded three albums, Neskatxena, María Mater and Haizeak Dakar, the latter dedicated entirely to the music of composer Xabier Sarasola.

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Since its inception, the Vocalia Taldea choir has been invited to a large number of choral cycles and festivals in Spain and Europe (Italy, France, Ireland, Belgium...). His concerts, endorsed by critics, are proof of a career marked by quality, originality and innovation. The group frequently collaborates with various orchestras, soloists and cultural entities and has received more than twenty awards in international competitions such as those in Tours, Arezzo, Tolosa, Maasmechelen or Cork.

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In November 2019, under the direction of maestro Juanjo Mena, he went on a concert tour with the Euskadi Symphony Orchestra as part of its subscription program performing music by Gustav Holst.

Between September and December 2020, Vocalia Taldea presented the baroque program Le Muse Veneziane, with music by Antonio Vivaldi, Nicola Porpora and Baldasare Galuppi, in the early music cycles of Zumarraga, Zenarruza and Ordizia together with Conductus Ensemble and under the baton of Andoni Mountain range.

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Throughout 2021 he offered concerts in Madrid, Azkoitia, Zornotza, Dax (France) and Vitoria Gasteiz.

Their program There Is No Rose, with music by Benjamin Britten, Johannes Brahms and Xabier Sarasola, was presented in Vitoria Gasteiz, Beasain and Bilbao (Teatro Arriaga and Sociedad Filarmónica). At these concerts, Vocalia Taldea premiered the Urtats Elur suite, written for the group by composer Xabier Sarasola and created as a mirror of Britten's Christmas music suite A Ceremony of Carols.

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In 2022 she develops a new project that under the title Arima Sakra includes a selection of religious repertoire for female choir and organ with works by Felix Mendelssohn, Francis Poulenc and Kim André Arnesen. This program was presented in the Hondarribia Religious Music Series, in Burgos and, in 2023, in the Matinées de Miramon series of the Euskadi Symphony Orchestra. For this program he has had the collaboration of the organist Oscar Rodríguez and the soprano Nerea González.

In August 2022, together with maestro Alain Antinoglu and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vocalia Taldea participated in the Santander International Festival and the Donostiarra Musical Fortnight performing Sirènes by Claude Debussy with great success from critics and the public.

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In April 2023, Vocalia Taldea was the winning choir of the 50th edition of the prestigious Ejea de los Caballeros Choral Competition. On this occasion the contest had a special significance since the participants were winning choirs from previous editions. The award is therefore an important recognition of the quality of the work developed by Vocalia Taldea and its director Basilio Astulez. In this competition the choir has premiered the suite of Basque melodies Andere, created by Josu Elberdin based on a commission from Vocalia Taldea.

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Basilio Astúlez, Director

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He is a professor of Choral Singing at the Leioa Municipal Conservatory and founder of the Leioa Kantika Korala children's choir in 2001, the La Kantoria female youth choir in 2005 and the mixed SJB choir in 2007. This young choral school includes more than 150 singers from 7 and 35 years old and has already received numerous awards in Spanish and European competitions.

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In 2000 she founded the female chamber group Vocalia Taldea, holder of more than 20 awards in the main choral competitions on the international circuit.

Leading these groups, he has made 10 recordings and a large number of international tours in Europe and America and collaborated with important soloists, orchestras, directors and groups.

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In 2008 he received the special award for best direction at the 47th C. A. Seguizzi International Competition in Gorizia, Italy, for his work directing Leioa Kantika Korala.

In 2009 he also received the special award for best direction at the 38th Florilège Vocal de Tours in France, for his work leading Vocalia Taldea.

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He is currently a professor of Choral Conducting for educational entities, universities and various choral federations in the country and is frequently requested as a jury in competitions and to offer choral singing courses and seminars in Europe, America and Asia. Since 2018 he has also been a professor of choral conducting at the Musikene Higher Conservatory of the Basque Country.

 

Cristina Saldías, piano

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Cristina Saldías Solís completed her musical studies in the Basque Country, where she obtained advanced degrees in Piano and Chamber Music and professional degrees in Singing and Musical Language.

During her training she worked with Albert Nieto, Margarita Lorenzo de Reizabal, Maria Ángeles Rodríguez, Cecilio López de Luzuriaga, Carmelo Bernaola, José Rada…

She has worked as an instrument repertoire pianist and as a Soprano and Pianist in various

choral groups such as the Samaniego choir and the Cluster Cámara choir.

She has been part of the Vocalia Taldea choir since its beginnings.

She currently works as an accompanist pianist at the Professional Dance Conservatory

“José Uruñuela” from Vitoria - Gasteiz.

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