From October to March 2026, museums will not only host paintings or sculptures. From now on, galleries and cultural centers become real stages for concerts of both classical and contemporary music. The performers will be young people up to 35 years of age, who will be able to showcase their musical art surrounded by works of art.
This is the proposal of MusaE Música en los Museos Estatales, a series of concerts that seeks an encounter between material and sound heritage. In total, there will be 113 musicians of different styles, who will play in 45 concerts throughout the network of state museums in Spain. Madrid will host 21 performances, with the aim of bringing museums closer to the public and creating living spaces with unique experiences.
This year marks the ninth edition of MusaE, which was created by the Ministry of Culture and since 2018 has been curated by Juventudes Musicales de España. This entity is dedicated to promoting music and helping young people develop their professional careers. Thus, the age limit at 35 allows these concerts to showcase emerging Spanish talent.
Classical music, jazz, flamenco and rap in 7 museums
The program includes very different styles, from classical to contemporary music, including jazz, flamenco and rap-poetry. Each museum will host three different proposals and, in addition to the concerts, there will be micro-recitals, 15-minute performances distributed throughout the exhibition halls on an itinerant basis.
In the case of Madrid, the 7 entities participating in this edition of MusaE are: the Museo del Traje, the Museo Arqueológico Nacional, the Museo de América, the Museo de las Artes Decorativas, the Museo Nacional de Antropología, the Museo Cerralbo and the Museo Nacional del Romanticismo.
Each musical proposal is designed to dialogue with the collections and spaces of each of the museums, achieving that link between cultural assets and sound. It is not just a matter of giving a concert in a beautiful room, but of offering a complete artistic experience to the visitor.
An opportunity for young talent
The participating musicians have been selected by a specialized commission through an open call for soloists and musical ensembles. This year, according to data from the Ministry of Culture, 200 applications were submitted, with 113 participants in the end.
In addition to the performances, the series includes training workshops for musicians. In this way, the MusaE cycle allows them to perform in front of an audience and also to continue learning in areas such as intermediation, self-promotion, self-management or self-knowledge.
MusaE concerts in Madrid
The MusaE program includes all the concerts that will be held in the different state museums throughout Spain. Attendance is free and in most cases with free admission until full capacity is reached. However, it is recommended to visit the websites of the museums because in some cases may require prior registration.
This is the list of the first concerts that will take place in the museums of Madrid in 2025, although the cycle continues until March 2026 with more performances.
- October 23: Alejandro Villamayor. Classical music: guitar (Museo del Traje at 6:00 p.m.).
- November 6: Her Itage. Traditional and modern music: voices, guitars and keyboard (Museo del Traje at 6:00 p.m.).
- November 29: Kuarist. Classical music: saxophones (National Archaeological Museum at 6:00 p.m.).
- December 11: Trio Gales. Classical music: clarinet, bassoon and piano (Museo del Traje at 6:00 p.m.).
- December 13: Alba Espert and Alba Martos. Flamenco: guitar and cantaora (Museo de América at 12:00 noon) and Miquel Muñiz and Eduardo Alcântara. Classical music: violin and double bass (National Archaeological Museum at 5:30 p.m., 6:00 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.).
- December 16: Daniel Martínez Asenjo. Classical music: guitar (National Museum of Decorative Arts at 6:00 p.m.).
- December 18: Pablo López. Classical music: clarinet (National Museum of Anthropology at 8:15 p.m.).