The violinist Ara Malikian during a startling performance at the festival in 2013.

The violinist Ara Malikian during a startling performance at the festival in 2013. | Nuria Rincón

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPollensa26/11/2016 00:00
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The Pollensa Festival, held in August each year, is to come under the direction of an artistic committee. This change was approved at Friday's council meeting. The committee will be headed by the mayor, Miquel Ángel March, and comprise musicians and teachers whose knowledge and careers are endorsements for their inclusion.

The committee, the town hall believes, will consolidate the festival and make it a leader in the annual calendar of musical events in Majorca. The decision to form the committee has been driven, says the town hall, by the need to reunite diverse musical tastes, to debate the festival's annual programme and to define a long-term project.

In the past few years, the festival has been under the direction of composer Joan Valent, who has received some criticism, much of it unwarranted. Valent stepped in at a time when it looked possible that the festival might fold because of a withdrawal of funding from the tourism ministry. He used his international contacts to attract performers such as Michael Nyman, but not all his innovations were appreciated. Staging a concert at the auditorium in neighbouring Alcudia was one such.