The Museo Iconográfico del Quijote (MIQ) is celebrating 15 years of its Musical Thursdays program, a chamber music concert series that has brought over 28,000 attendees to enjoy 350 performances featuring musicians from the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL) and international artists.
To inaugurate the 2025 season, the Bellas Artes String Quartet will present the concert “The Art of the String Quartet: 19th and 20th Centuries” on February 27 at 8:00 PM at the MIQ. The program will include works by Beethoven and Ravel, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the French composer’s birth.
Since its inception, Musical Thursdays has brought together over 600 artists from different countries and has extended its impact beyond Guanajuato, with performances in Mexico City and Querétaro as part of the MIQ’s Cervantino Days.
The Bellas Artes String Quartet
Renowned for their interpretive excellence, the Bellas Artes String Quartet is composed of Ilya Ivanov and Carlos Quijano (violin), Félix Alanís (viola), and Manuel Cruz (cello). They have won numerous awards, including First Place in the Mateo Oliva National Chamber Music Competition and the Raíz México Award for their project “Culturaleza.” Additionally, they have conducted seminars in the United States, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Canada, as well as at various universities in Mexico.
Musical Thursdays in 2025
The concert season will continue with outstanding performers and repertoires ranging from classical music to Latin American compositions:
- March 13 – “Watercolors of America” with Manuel Hernández (clarinet) and Daniel Olmos (guitar).
- April 10 – Piano and bass recital with Raquel Waller and Sergio Meneses.
- May 15 – Piano and soprano concert with Armando Merino and Silvia Rizo.
- June 19 – Solo piano with Mauricio Nader.
- July 13 and August 28 – Programs to be announced.
- September 18 – “God Save the Homeland,” a solo piano recital with Alejandro Barrañón.
- October 9 – Harpsichord recital with Raúl Moncada.
- November 6 – 38th anniversary of the MIQ with Bellas Artes concertinos (harp, violin, and flute).
- December 11 – Christmas concert.
Curated by composer and conductor Carlos Vidaurri, the MIQ’s Musical Thursdays reaffirm its role as one of the most important spaces for chamber music in Mexico, offering a year of celebrations with top-tier talent.
