The Joan Carles i Amat Association was created in Monistrol de Montserrat in July 2019 with the main aim of being the organizer of the International Guitar Festival in tribute to a universal Catalan who is considered Monistrol’s first son, but also, with the purpose of bringing together different initiatives that have sprung up in the ultimate recovery of this major historical figure unfairly forgotten.

Tríptic of the Association (Catalan)

6blqf4orab|00001E42F369|JCIA|Texts|EN|5384416B-EA2B-45F9-9E58-A999C2C77022

The Association is made up of a Board of Directors that holds meetings accorting to the progression of the project. There is a Delegate Committee that meets more frequently, and the issues discussed by the Comittee are proposed to the full board for final approval.
 
The Association has appointed Honorary Members and has created an Advisory Committee as well. In both cases, made up of local personalities. The credits of the Association also include the names of the 20 prominent personalities who support the entity and its projects.

Board
Joan Puigdellívol president
Lluís Alavedra vicepresident
Cecília Prat secretària
Dolors Forcada tresorera
Joan Pozo vocal

Advisory comitee
Carles Banqué
David Blasco
Daniel Montañà
Carlos Pizarro

Honorary members
Núria López-Bigas
Salvador Redó
Llorenç Soldevila

In order to reinforce the request for approval of the 450th aniversary of Joan Carles i Amat to the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Association asket different personalities of recognized prestige for a letter of support, taking the opportunity to inform them about the initiative of the International Guitar Festival on the horizon in Monistrol de Montserrat. In each case, the answer was immediate, and it was always in terms of great affability and in a laudatory tone. They are reproducer below in order of arrival.

1. Carles Duarte: poet and philologist, former president of the CoNCA and currently general director of ‘Institució Cultural del CIC’ of Barcelona

2. Enric Satué: reference graphic designer writer and member of the ‘Reial Acadèmia de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi’ of Catalonia

3. Josep Maria Soler: ecclesiastic, professor of Philosofy and Theology and abbot emeritus of Montserrat

4. Maricarmen Gómez Muntané: one of the leading names in Catalan and international musicology, professor emeritus of ‘Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona’

5. José Maria Vives Ramiro: guitarist, musicologist and professor, member of the ‘Reial Acadèmia de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi’

6. Jaume Plensa: sculptor, one of the most internationally renowned Catalan artists

7. Joan Rigol: former president of ‘Parlament de Catalunya’ and president of ‘Comissió Executiva del Patronat de la Muntanya de Montserrat’

8. Benet Casablancas: the most internationaly renowned Catalan composer, also a theorist and philosopher

9. Màrius Bernadó: musicologist, historian and professor of ‘Universitat de Lleida’

10. Miquel Bruguera: former president of ‘Col·legi Oficial de Metges de Barcelona’ and head of the ‘Galeria de Metges Catalans’ of the same College

11. Miquel Desclot: poet and writer, recently awarded the ‘Premi Carles Riba de poesia’

12. Raimon: reference singer-songwriter and one of the most prominent figures of Catalan culture

13. Marina Garcés: philosopher and essayist, professor of Humanities at the ‘Universitat Oberta de Catalunya’

14. Josep Pons: musician and conductor, currently head of the ‘Orquestra Simfònica del Gran Teatre del Liceu’ of Barcelona

15. Isona Passola: former president of the ‘Acadèmia del Cinema Català’ and currently president of the ‘Ateneu Barcelonès’

16. Xavier Antich: philosopher and writer, professor of Aesthetics of ‘Universitat de Girona’ and president of the ‘Fundació Antoni Tàpies’ i ‘Òmnium Cultural’

17. Llorenç Soldevila: philologist of Monistrol, long-term cultural activist and professor emeritus of ‘Universitat de Vic'

18. Núria López-Bigas: researcher in the field of biomedicine of international prestige, also from Monistrol

19. Hopkinson Smith: world reference for early music in the specialty of lute and historical guitar

20. Jordi Savall: certainly the most prestigious and internationaly renowned Catalan artist, wo worked hand in hand with Smith in the early years of his formidable career

The values, ideology and philosophy of the Joan Carles i Amat Society and the project of the International Guitar Festival on its behalf can be summed up in the following sentence: “In times of clear cultural decline and lacking as we are of truly backbone initiatives which put culture at the center, which contribute to rediscovering the historical heritage,  revaluing our cultural luminaries, promoting citizens’ participation and social cohesion, we believe it is worth celebrating this initiative beginning to emerge in one of the most emblematic environments of Central Catalonia which may be can stand as a model and even become a real “projecte de país” (“country project”).