Seville, the capital of Andalusia, is the fourth largest city of Spain with 703,000 inhabitants. Its most famous music festival, the Bienal de Flamenco, showcases a musical genre that was recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010.
The history of Seville dates back more than two millennia. The remains left by various civilizations have given Seville a distinct character and a large and well-preserved historical centre with its most significant buildings declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Seville also has three universities with over 80,000 students.
Seville plays a leading role as an administrative and economic centre of southern Spain. In addition to its longstanding tradition in the aerospace industry, the economic activity of Seville is now dominated by the service and tourism sector which represents a significant share of the local economy. Other highly developed sectors in the city are specialized technical services such as architecture, engineering, and the creative and cultural industries, which have demonstrated their great potential.
Indeed, the city is a highly recognized centre of creativity and musical activity. Seville reflects centuries of musical tradition and influence on a global scale. Music is everywhere in the city and engages everyone. From symphonies, operas and public open spaces dedicated to music, to foundations, youth organizations, schools and conservatories: the city offers all of its citizens a way to become involved in creating and appreciating music. The city continues to support and boost this industry with great pride.
As a Creative City of Music, Seville envisages:
- organizing activities throughout the city to reach a wide range of population groups;
- collaborating with local institutions and supporting initiatives from the local music scene;
- promoting musical exchanges with the other Cities of Music in order to create opportunities and possibilities for the international promotion of musicians;
- fostering cultural tourism as a factor of sustainable development;
- exchanging know-how, best practices and expertise between cities on music education;
- establishing an international cooperation network in order to develop programmes encouraging mobility for artists; and
- stimulating broad cooperation between musical actors from the public and private sectors of all Cities of Music.
