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The fourteenth edition of the Valencian Music Fair Trovam has begun today with the institutional act that opens the complete program of musical and professional activities that will take place between Thursday, November 12 and Saturday, November 14 in different spaces of Castellón de la Plana. The opening act was attended by Susana Fabregat, delegate of the Consell; Beatriz Traver, deputy director of Music and Popular Culture of the Institut Valencià de Cultura (IVC); Alejandro Clausell, deputy for Culture of the Provincial Council of Castellón; Begoña Carrasco, mayor of Castellón; Nuria Felip, territorial delegate of the IVC in Castellón; Luis Óscar García, president of the Valencian Federation of the Music Industry (FEVIM); Joan Gregori Maria, president of the Valencian Music Association (VAM); and Armand Llàcer, director of the Trovam Fair.
Beatriz Traver, deputy director of Music and Popular Culture of the IVC, emphasized “the structural role of the Trovam Fair in the Valencian music industry, as well as its function as a showcase for the newest of our music and a meeting point for all agents in the sector, which allows them to share, support each other, and give rise to new synergies, both inside and outside the Valencian territory.”
In his speech, Armand Llácer highlighted that “the Trovam Fair is a professional market that generates activity, employment, and competitiveness.” Thus, “in thirteen years, this project born from the sector itself with institutional support has allowed the Valencian industry to be organized and structured, as well as consolidating the city of Castellón de la Plana as an epicenter of the music scene.”
In addition, Susana Fabregat underlined the importance of music in the Valencian Community, both for its social significance and its economic weight. Finally, the mayor of Castellón, Begoña Carrasco, showed the city council's commitment to the Fair, currently and in the future, and remarked on the trajectory of Trovam, with 14 editions and under terms of different political parties.
In its 14th edition, the Trovam Fair is fully consolidated in the city's cultural calendar and also as one of the key professional events in the music sector thanks to an extensive program of concerts, meetings, and activities. On the other hand, students from various educational centers in the Valencian Community and Spain will attend the sessions of Trovam+, a training project developed in collaboration with the Alfonso X el Sabio University. This year, the artistic lineup includes more than 45 performances, most of them with free admission, on different stages across the locality. Consequently, the role of Trovam must be highlighted when it comes to showing the diversity of the indigenous music scene with the presence of figures linked to popular culture such as Pep Gimeno ‘Botifarra’, Sandra Monfort, and Noelia Llorens 'Titana', and performers of modern genres such as Romàntic Dimoni, AnimalPersona, Arre-A.K., Bernal, or Perfecto Miserable. Bands arriving from other parts of the country will also play, such as Anna Ferrer, Brighton 64, Cervatana, Depresión Sonora, La Perra Blanco, Rebrote, Repion, or Toundra. For their part, the activities for sector agents include debates on the strategic role of professional fairs, the problem of noise at concerts, and the exploitation of songs once they have already been released. In addition, Varry Brava and La Bien Querida will star in the space ‘Les converses del Trovam’. The professional programming includes presentations by collaborating entities such as the Society of Artists, Performers or Executants (AIE), Navarra Music Commission (NMC), Es_Música, or the Professional Association of Representatives, Promoters and Managers of Catalonia (ARC).
Friday the 13th's program: 15 performances and a meeting with La Bien Querida
The second day of Trovam will feature around fifteen concerts of diverse musical genres. Activity will open in the Chamber Hall of the Auditorium with Sara Dowling, named Best Vocalist at the 2019 British Jazz Awards. Performing on that same stage will be Sanspok, the imaginative project of Villarreal native Sophia Bodí; Negre, a Balearic indie-rock band; Cervatana, a group that fuses kraut rock, techno, ambient, and big beat; and AnimalPersona, a pop-soul combo led by Carles Chiner (Gener). The Vibra Mahou Stage, located in front of the main entrance of the Auditorium, will host half a dozen performances. The first to step onto the boards will be Paco Pecado, an artist with a special predilection for kitsch, retro, and ancient elements. Likewise, the public will be able to attend the live shows of Stereozone, a rock ensemble that will present new songs such as “La comunidad”; Nadia Sheikh, singer and guitarist of forceful melodies; Marte Lasarte, a Basque rock quintet that has just released its second work, Kea, Argiak eta Kontraesanak (Smoke, lights and contradictions); Kiliki, spearhead of Navarrese urban music; and Bernal, one of the Valencian bands with the largest following thanks to their post-rock, hardcore, and slowcore tracks. In addition, two venues in the capital of Plana Alta will open for another four performers. Thus, the venue La Bohemia will experience the live shows of Chilean singer and drummer Cancamusa and the Barcelona band Brighton 64, which has included the Trovam Fair on its farewell tour. Finally, playing at El Terra will be Repion, a Cantabrian duo that will offer an acoustic recital, and Arre-A.K., a group that will officially debut the album Kinkis de Bankal.
On the other hand, tomorrow the professional programming of the Trovam Fair will close. Activities will begin with networking rounds with managers, promoters, and programming spaces to incentivize bookings in venues and festivals in the Valencian Community and the rest of the country. Subsequently, the roundtable ‘The song after the song: production, authorship, and exploitation’ will take place with the participation of Alba Fernández, from Calaverita Records; Alejandro Hernández, member of Maestro Espada and music producer; Gina Navarro, legal professional from the General Society of Authors and Editors (SGAE); and Pablo Contreras, music journalist; moderated by Ana Gómez de Castro, doctor in communication and expert in music industry strategy. Upon finishing, the second session of ‘Les Converses del Trovam’ will take place. In this case, the protagonist will be La Bien Querida, who will review her career and give her vision on the music industry with questions from journalist and writer Rafa Cervera. Likewise, accredited sector agents will be able to learn firsthand about the work of entities such as the Professional Association of Representatives, Promoters and Managers of Catalonia (ARC) and the Galician Association of Music Companies, promoter of the PALCO fair. Finally, meetings of young promoters and backliners, technical professionals who make the staging of live shows possible, will take place.
