Last week, the Cáritas School of Catering hosted the presentation of the UCAM Symphony Orchestra's programme for the 2024/25 season. María Dolores García, UCAM president, accompanied by José Antonio Planes, director of Caritas; Eugenio Santos, manager of the UCAM Symphony; its chaplain, Luis Emilio Pascual; Ángel Carrillo, director of the Discantus Choir, and Ignacio del Olmo, senior police chief, participated in the presentation and explained the motivation behind its intense concert agenda. Throughout the season, concerts will be held in Madrid, Valladolid, Teulada, Murcia, Jumilla, Caravaca, etc.

The first of the shows will take place on 4 October at 8.30pm, in the Auditorio Víctor Villegas in Murcia; a lyrical gala with a special performance by Plácido Domingo. This will be a tribute to José Luis Mendoza, founder of the UCAM, and for which tickets have almost sold out. The tenor from Madrid, who will be performing for the third time with the UCAM Symphony Orchestra, recently alluded to this concert on his social networks highlighting that ‘Returning to Murcia to sing after so many years is very exciting for me. I am happy and very honoured by this invitation from the Universidad Católica’. 

In her speech, María Dolores García expressed her satisfaction with the UCAM Symphony Orchestra's extensive programme and paid special attention to the concert in homage to José Luis Mendoza, ‘who welcomed this project of the Orchestra with great enthusiasm and supported it’.  He also encouraged the public to attend these concerts, especially the charity ones. In this sense, José Antonio Planes highlighted the social work carried out with the most vulnerable children, to whom the proceeds of the Christmas concert will be donated: ‘These children have their whole lives ahead of them, and if we can instil love, education and support in these families, we are doing an immeasurable amount of good’. 

At the presentation, Ignacio del Olmo, senior chief of the National Police in the Region of Murcia, thanked UCAM for the fact that its Symphony Orchestra will be the protagonist with a concert at the end of the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the creation of this Corps, on 13 January.

Another of the Symphony's important dates will be its performance in the Gran Gala de Zarzuela at the Auditorio Nacional de Madrid on 4 January, as well as in welcome to Broadway', which will be held on 9 November, a great show that will bring together cinema hits such as Grease, The Prince of Egypt, The Bodyguard, Chicago, Les Miserables and The Wizard of Oz. 

An important part of the programme will be sacred music, with performances of Handel's 'The Messiah' in the Cathedral of Murcia and Mozart's 'The Requiem' in the Cathedral of Murcia and in the parish church of El Salvador in Caravaca.

Concert calendar 

• Grand Lyric Gala ‘Remembrance of José Luis Mendoza'’ with Plácido Domingo. 4 October, 8.30pm, Auditorio Víctor Villegas de Murcia. 
• Tango Tirao. 19 October, 7pm, Miguel Delibes Cultural Centre (Valladolid). 
• Mozart Requiem. 2 November, 8pm., parish church 'El Salvador' (Caravaca), and 3 April, 8.30pm, Murcia Cathedral. 
• Welcome to Broadway. 9 November, 8pm, Auditorio Víctor Villegas. 
• Christmas Concert, Handel's Messiah. 19 December, 8.30pm., Murcia Cathedral. 
• ‘Wonka’. Charity concert ‘Ningún niño sin juguete (No child without a toy)’. 26 December, 7pm, Auditorio Víctor Villegas, and 27 December, 7pm, Teatro Vico (Jumilla). 
• XXIV Gala Lírica de Zarzuela. Auditorio Nacional de Música de Madrid. 4 January, 7.30pm. 
• Concert to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the National Police Corps. 13 January. Venue and time TBD. 
• Zarzuela 'La moza de la dehesilla'. 28 and 29 March, 9pm, Teatro Vico (Jumilla).