The 26-27 season of El Real Junior (which takes place at the Daoíz y Velarde Cultural Centre, home of this artistic project, located in the district of El Retiro) will take place from 26 September 2026 to 27 June 2027. An initiative that aims to bring music and the performing arts to children and young people through a total of 198 performances, of which 47 will be for schools and 151 for families, suitable for all ages.
The Daoíz y Velarde Cultural Centre is a major cultural and artistic space for children and young people launched by the Teatro Real and Madrid City Council. It seeks to broaden horizons by expanding the artistic offer available to children and families, promoting access to art and culture, and offering great experiences for the whole family.
The programme includes established projects, premières, artists, companies and guest orchestras. Schools also have the opportunity to enjoy the shows put on at the Teatro Real with more school performances throughout the year.
In its bid to bring music and the performing arts to children, the latest edition of this initiative includes a plethora of artistic endeavours and offerings, including 18 productions developed specifically and several innovative projects based around opera, dance, musical theatre, staged concerts, music, cinema with live music, workshops, debates, gatherings and festivities designed for different ages.
Once again, opera takes pride of place within the programme: in February, the children’s musical company La Federica will be performing an adaptation of The Barber of Seville by G. Rossini. There will also be two opera productions created specifically as part of this programme, designed to supported talented young artists: The Marriage of Figaro opera-studio, a series of Microperas created by students of Composition at Madrid’s Royal Conservatoire, along with final year students at the RESAD Department of Direction, the Department of Contemporary Performance at Madrid’s Singing College, and participants in the Crescendo programme.
Coinciding with the centenary celebrations of the literary Generation of ‘27, audiences can learn about literature through music and musical fable with ¡Anda jaleo, jaleo! based on the poems, songs and imagination of Federico García Lorca. There will also be musical tales with Soy Salvaje, developed and performed by La Maquiné, in partnership with Andalusia’s Cultural Institutions Agency.
In addition, there will be two film seasons, Cineclásica and El Real Junior de Cine, which will be showing two classic silent films accompanied by live music: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Battleship Potemkin. Audiences can also see screenings of some of the most emblematic shows put on at the Teatro Real, such as The Little Match Girl, Puss In Boots, Dido and Aeneas, Brundibár, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Mother Goose.
Just as every year, there will be the traditional Christmas Concert alongside other proposals such as Un día en canciones, performed by the ORCAM Children’s Choir, who will be singing for the first time in this theatre; The Nutcracker by the África Guzmán Dance Project; a Children’s Choir Concert and the Little New Year’s Concert.
There will also be dance shows, including El viaje de Bastián, a musical theatre production featuring Baroque dance, produced by the Real Teatro de Retiro in collaboration with the company Proyecto Barroco Pasión. And this year, members of the public can take part in a Dance Workshop for families as well as The grand carnival celebration at the opera, a fun-packed and festive musical proposal filled with games and dancing.
Illustrations: © Fran Parreño
See full programme
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