2019 in numbers: Music

One of the main goals of the Etxepare Basque Institute is to promote the many Basque artistic disciplines among international audiences. Year after year, the Institute uses different tools to achieve this goal. The 2019 in numbers series allows us to draw attention to our work in different artistic disciplines. Today we turn the spotlight on Basque music.

To boost the international visibility of the Basque music sector, the Etxepare Basque Institute works to include concerts by Basque bands and artists in international festivals and programs. In addition, Etxepare offers mobility grants so that bands and solo artists can show their work worldwide by touring or giving special concerts. The Institute also collaborates in the internationalization of the industry itself, participating in international music markets alongside other industry professionals in the field, such as Musika Bulegoa, and the Basque Government, under the name Basque.Music.

The Etxepare Basque Institute is responsible each year for the participation of Basque musicians in festivals and cultural events worldwide. By means of agreements with festivals, the Institute creates programs called Euskal Leihoak or Basque Windows. In 2019, twelve such windows were organized, including the Kanazawa Jazz Street festival in Japan (with Iñaki Salvador and his band), the EH Sona festival in Barcelona (with various artists), the Artistas en Ruta project (with various artists and concerts all over Spain) or the Suns Europe festival in Udine (Friuli, Italy) with Mocker’s and Eneritz Furyak, among others.

Through the agreement signed by Etxepare with the Euskal Herriko Musika Bulegoa association, other actions have been carried out to raise the profile of Basque music internationally. In addition, the Institute presented singer Ruper Ordorika the award for best album in Basque at the Spanish MIN Independent Music Awards for his most recent album.

Grants are another effective tool for international recognition. The Etxepare Basque Institute awards annual mobility grants to enable Basque bands and artists to go on tour and perform special concerts around the world. 29 grants were distributed for music tours last year, for a total of 125,000 euros, and an additional 11 special concerts were subsidized for a total of 15,000 euros.