City of Madrid signs up
with Archdiocese for
WYD 2011 celebration
Translated from the official site of
MADRID, July 20 - The city government of Madrid signed an agreement today with the Archdiocese of Madrid defining the areas of collaboration in the forthcoming celebration of World Youth Day 2011 in the Spanish capital.
Mayor Alberto Ruiz Gallardón said the WYD is "an event of exceptional transcendence for the city, for the success of which an equally extraordinary effort will be required from all concerned".
He expressed joy that Madrid was chosen for the event: "Every time we are chosen to host a major international event, we should all be honored and happy".
Among the contributions of the city, some public schools and sports centers will be made available to accommodate some of the youth attending the event. The city will also make available public spaces for mass meetings and for cultural events.
The city will, of course, guarantee the services of the police, in coordination with the Services for Civilian Protection and Security of both the city and national governments for the security of all events and moving about the various event sites.
Among the city facilities to be made available for WYD events are Casa Magica, the Palacio Municpal de Congresos and the Auditorio de Parque Juan Carlos i.
The city will install a giant countdown clock 'in an emblematic part of the city'.
Ruiz Gallardón promised, "Madrid will not only live up to the standard of previous World Youth Days, but it intends to outdo all expectations to make this the best WYD ever".
Cardinal Antonio Rouco Varela, Archbishop of Madrid, guaranteed for his part that "the Madrid WYD will be distinguished by the human quality of the young people who will come and will be sure to conquer the hearts of Madrilenos".
The cardinal described WYD as "an event that expresses the life of young people in the Church in their liturgical acts and in listening too the Word of God" and "will bring peace and good to the city, in addition to responses that will satisfy the hearts of the youth".
The city of Madrid forms part of the Mixed Commission for WYD 2011, which also includes representatives of the Prime Minister's cabinet. Government agencies will allow the use of public sites and services but will not contribute financially.
WYD events are financed by the registration fees paid by the participants and by sponsoring business corporations. and foundations.
Last week, the organizing committee announced that it has signed a contract with the Excellence Foundation, which will organize four concerts in the coming months to make World Youth Day known to society at large.
This is one of the many cultural initiatives that will unfold over the next year to promote WYD. Part of the proceeds of these concerts is destined for the Solidarity Fund, established so that young people from less fortunate countries who want to come to WYD might fulfill their wish.
The four concerts will take place in the National Auditorium in Madrid, between October 2010 and June 2011. Tickets are being sold beginning this month of July. The orchestras which will perform in the series are the Orquesta Clásica Santa Cecilia, the European Royal Ensemble, and the Orquesta Filarmónica Excelentia.
This cycle will begin on October 6, 2010 and will offer great works of the classical repertoire such as Beethoven's 5th Symphony, the Piano Concerto No. 21 of Mozart, the Piano Concerto No. 2 of Rachmaninov, and the Symphony No. 9 of Beethoven. At the last concert, which will be presented on June 23, 2011, other choral pieces such as the chorales of Handel's Messiah will be heard.
World-famous conductors Janos Kovacs, Stephen Layton, Darrell Ang and the Spaniard Cristóbal Soler have been invited to lead these concerts.
The Excellence Foundation (www.fundacionexcelentia.org) is a non-profit organization whose objective is the diffusion and promotion of the musical arts in all their forms.
The programs for the four concerts will be announced later.
