Coral Polifónica Anniversary Concert in Mera

A choir anniversary concert can sound small from the outside. But this one is really a map of Galician choral life in one room. On Saturday, May 2, at 19:30, the Coral Polifónica de Mera is celebrating its 35th anniversary with a shared concert at the Auditorio Municipal Gabriel García Márquez in Mera, Oleiros. The point is not just to mark a birthday — it is to bring together several choirs from different corners of Galicia for one of those community music nights that still carry real local weight. (elidealgallego.com) ### What is happening here? The event is an anniversary gala built around the Coral Polifónica de Mera, the host choir. It starts Saturday evening, May 2, and takes place at the municipal auditorium in Mera, a venue with about 400 seats that regularly hosts cultural events in Oleiros. That makes this less like an informal parish singalong and more like a proper staged choral gathering with room for a broad local audience. (elidealgallego.com) ### Why 35 years matters? Thirty-five years is long enough for a local choir to become part of the town’s civic memory. Groups like this survive because rehearsals keep happening, new singers join, and audiences keep showing up. So the anniversary is not just a round number — it is proof that the Coral Polifónica de Mera has lasted across generations, which is a real achievement for any volunteer cultural association. (ma.to) ### Which choirs are joining? Three guest ensembles are on the bill alongside the host choir. One is the Coral Polifónica Val do Avia from Leiro in Ourense. Another is the Coral Polifónica de Piloño from Vila de Cruces in Pontevedra. The third is the Coral da Hermandad Venezolana en Galicia, HEVEGA, based in A Coruña. That lineup gives the concert a wider feel (ma.to)irs with different roots and identities. (elidealgallego.com) ### Why invite choirs from different places? Because that is how this kind of music culture stays alive. A choir anniversary works a bit like a reunion dinner, but with harmonies instead of speeches. Visiting groups bring their own repertoire, their own sound, and their own audience ties. The result is a stronger event than a solo commemorative concert, and it turns a local milestone into a regional exchange. (elidealgallego.com) ### Why does HEVEGA stand out? HEVEGA adds an extra layer to the evening because it connects Galician cultural life with the Venezuelan community in Galicia. That matters in A Coruña province, where migration histories and return migration have shaped local identity for decades. So the concert is not only about tradition in the narrow sense — it also shows how choral music can carry shared memory across communities. (elidealgallego.com) ### What kind of venue is this? The concert is set at the Auditorio Gabriel García Márquez in Mera, on Rúa do Chelito. The building is a regular cultural hub for Oleiros and hosts concerts, theater, and other public events through the year. In other words, this is exactly the kind of municipal space where local culture gets made visible — formal enough to feel special, but still rooted in everyday town life. (oleiros.org) ### So what should readers take from it? Basically, this is a community music story with more substance than the word “anniversary” usually suggests. Mera’s choir is using its 35th year to stage a gathering that pulls in Ourense, Pontevedra, A Coruña, and the Venezuelan-Galician diaspora in one program. That is the real story — a local ensemble celebrating its own history by turning the spotlight outward. (elidealgallego.com)