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Spanish husband-and-wife team become UNESCO Artists for Peace

Spanish husband-and-wife team become UNESCO Artists for Peace

Two renowned Spanish performers, the soprano Montserrat Figueras and the composer, conductor and viola de gambist Jordi Savall, are set to become the newest Artists for Peace with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Ms. Figueras and Mr. Savall – who are married to each other – will receive the designation “for their outstanding musical commitment to intercultural dialogue and their contribution to furthering the Organization’s ideals,” UNESCO said in a statement released today.

The two performers will be honoured in a ceremony at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on Tuesday, after which they will stage a concert.

Born in 1941, Mr. Savall has created three major ensembles that have performed in early music festivals around the world over the past 30 years. He has also conducted many orchestras and written scores for films.

Ms. Figueras, born in 1948, is renowned for her personal and distinctive interpretation of early vocal music and founded the Hesperion XXI ensemble with Mr. Savall.

Other UNESCO Artists for Peace include the Brazilian singer Gilberto Gil, the Canadian singer Céline Dion, the Mozambican painter Malangatana, the Chinese actress Gong Li and the Spanish flamenco dancer Joaquín Cortés.