From Fado to Singer-Songwriter Music: Terral Returns to Málaga with Carminho and Valeria Castro

Terral Festival arrives early in Málaga, taking the form of a festival. Just before the season of mega-concerts and outdoor festivals begins, the Cervantes Theater proposes a unique event between June 22 and June 29. An event, supported by the La Caixa Foundation, that will feature fado by Carminho, singer-songwriter music with Valeria Castro, Cuban music from Cimafunk and Grupo Compay Segundo, jazz by Incognito, rock through the voice of Nikki Hill, instruments like the piano in the hands of Tony Ann, and even a tribute to Manuel Alejandro from the passion of Manuel Lombo. "We propose root music, music of emotion, ethnic music. It's about returning to the roots to generate emotions," defends Juan Antonio Vigar, director of the municipal theaters. Additionally, tickets go on sale at 6:00 PM this evening through all Málaga Procultura channels, and all concerts will start at 8:30 PM.

The Cervantes summer festival once again boasts its eclecticism with "leading figures" in their respective styles. Tony Ann kicks off the lineup on June 22, an artist who practices a type of music similar to that of Ludovico Einaudi. A Canadian pianist known for his romanticism when expressing himself musically, he also has significant public and media impact: he boasts over six million followers on social media. This instrumentalist is backed by his 'sold outs' in cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Tokyo. This summer he arrives in Málaga as part of a tour that will also visit other cities like Barcelona and Bilbao.

"We will visit Cuba in two moments of Terral and in two different ways," announces Vigar. The first visit will be with the most contemporary and dynamic Cuban music, looking towards the Afro-Cuban roots of the island: Cimafunk, whose name refers to the cimarrones, Cubans of African descent who escaped from slavery. He arrives with his band, nine musicians from Havana, and promises to deliver an electrifying show on the night of June 23 with the presentation of his album 'Pa' tu cuerpa'. The other visit will not happen until June 27 with Grupo Compay Segundo, which keeps alive the memory of the legendary Cuban tres player, guitarist, singer, and composer Compay Segundo thanks to his son, the double bassist Salvador Repilado. "Following his death, he gathered all the musicians who were with him in that wonderful band," explains the director of the Cervantes Theater, who adds that they will bring that sparkling, vibrant, and fun music from the island.

The project led by the British Jean-Paul Maunick lands at Cervantes on June 24. Incognito is a band that practices 'acid jazz', an eclectic style that blends jazz, funk, soul, disco, samba, house, and dance rhythms that will be present with their album 'Into you'.

"At Terral, we have the habit of looking at our neighboring country: Portugal is wonderful in terms of its music and fado could not be absent," claims Vigar. A claim that will bring Carminho to the stage on June 25. A well-known figure at the festival, she participated in 2016 with a "huge public success". Now, she returns with her new album 'Portuguesa' after having collaborated with figures from Latin root music like Pablo Alborán, Marisa Monte, and María Bethânia, among others.

From Lisbon, we jump to Dos Hermanas, the land that saw the birth of Manuel Lombo. A musician who will appear to pay tribute 'From Manuel to Manuel' –Alejandro–. A tribute to one of the most prolific composers of contemporary Spanish music. Lombo will arrive accompanied by the pianist Chico Pérez on the afternoon of June 26.

Niki Hill and Valeria Castro close the Terral Festival 2025

Nikki Hill will arrive from North Carolina on June 28. In her childhood, she sang in a gospel choir and, from there, she developed her musical sense to delve into rock and roll, and blues, while still drawing from the music played along the banks of the Mississippi River, where she lived. In Málaga, she will be leading a quartet including her husband, guitarist Matt Hill.

The Terral Festival concludes with Valeria Castro on June 29. The singer-songwriter, who has just been nominated for a Goya with her song for the movie 'El 47', returns to Málaga with her album 'El cuerpo después de todo', an album that already marks a special point in her maturation and growth as an artist. "She owns a sensitive and fragile voice that, at the same time, is very deep and with a very profound message. Nothing that Valeria sings and tells us goes unnoticed," highlights Vigar.

The presentation of the Terral Festival, in the Rossini hall of the Cervantes Theater, also featured the presence of the Councilor for Culture and Historical Heritage of Málaga, Mariana Pineda, who highlighted the "root music from all over the world" that boasts "enormous eclecticism and great quality" at Terral in Málaga, as well as the territorial manager in Andalusia, Ceuta and Melilla of the 'la Caixa' Foundation, Juan Carlos Barroso, and the Area Business Director of CaixaBank in Málaga, Antonio Caballero, who pointed out the importance of promoting culture through this festival to reach more people from Málaga.