Montserrat Torrent, 100 years in the service of music

Barcelona"I'm not going to talk about the centenary, but about three months; I'm so young," says Montserrat Torrent, the grande dame of the organ. A smile spreads through the crowded press room of the Department of Culture, where the Year of Montserrat Torrent was presented this Tuesday. "Everything that has happened in my life is providential. Three months ago, I had a very, very serious case of pneumonia, and they weren't sure I would pull through. The doctors treating me will refer me to a psychiatrist once they see all the concerts planned for my 100th birthday," she added. She herself has been actively involved in planning the events for this centenary, which, in addition to concerts, includes exhibitions and conferences in Catalonia, Spain, Switzerland, and Germany; a string of activities involving many of the Barcelona organist's students. There are also many festivals that have her prominently featured in their 2026 programs: for example, the Jordi Savall Festival, Peralada, Pascua de Cervera, Bachcelona, ​​and Espurnes Barroques, among others.

"In fact, the Montserrat Torrens Year has already begun with concerts by Víctor Baena, Javier Artigas, and Nadal Roig within the cycle The organ of the sea from Santa María del Mar. And on February 22, Montserrat will play at the Igualada Organ Festival, the city where her mother was born,” recalls Albert Torrens, curator of the year and author of Montserrat Torrent. The Lady of the Organ (Ficta, 2020), the essential biography of the organist, begins: "Montserrat Torrent Serra was born on April 17, 1926, on the main floor of number 18 Carrer del Carme, in the Raval neighborhood of Barcelona. She was the sixth of seven children of Laureà Torrent, a doctor. By the age of five, she was already playing the piano, but it wasn't until she was 18 that she discovered her vocation as an organist in Santa Coloma de Farners, listening to Narcís Jubany play, who years later became Bishop of Barcelona. Montserrat Torrent recalled this on Tuesday, seated at the same table as Torrens, Mònica Pagès (curator of the year's exhibitions), and Xavier Fina (Director General of Cultural Rights, Creation, and Libraries for the Department of Culture). Her intention, she says, "was not to pursue a career as an organist," and she has become an undisputed icon for several generations.

The organ of San Felipe Neri

“Talking about Montserrat Torrent is like reconstructing the history of our music,” says Pagès. This is confirmed by a program planned for 2026 that explores her career, aiming to highlight her artistic longevity and her contribution to the recovery of organology and organ repertoire, especially in the Iberian Peninsula. Among the extensive program, there is one special event. “It’s my greatest joy!” exclaims Montserrat Torrent. It is the inauguration, on May 18, of the complete restoration of the organ in the church of Sant Felip Neri. In December 2021, one third was restored to working order with 15 registers and 1,107 tubesAnd finally, Albert Blancafort has finished it so that Torrent herself can inaugurate it with a concert featuring other organists. She will also be in good company on April 18th at the Palau de la Música, in a marathon performance by some twenty of her students. The organ at San Felipe Neri, by the way, will be used by students of the Esmuc (Catalan School of Music).

"All the concerts in the Montserrat Torrent Year are unique," says Albert Torrens, both those featuring her and those performed by other organists. Some are particularly significant, such as her concerts in Bologna (Italy) on June 16 and in Erlangen (Germany) on June 21; and the concert in Seville on May 7 dedicated to Francisco Correa de Arauxo on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the publication of... Organic Facultyand the one he will share with David Malet at the Palau Güell, where he will premiere a work by Carles Prat on December 10. Others are significant for the instrument, such as Juan de la Rubia's performance at the Teatro de la Pasión in Esparreguera on April 19, on the organ that Torrent inaugurated almost fifty years ago.

Exhibitions and visits to the organs

Regarding the exhibitions, the Museu Diocesà de Barcelona will host One hundred years, a whole lifetime, and the Museum of Music, Montserrat Torrent. Ready for the organBoth museums are also organizing a guided tour of the organs in Barcelona's Gothic Quarter. And there will also be a traveling exhibition that will tour the country. Montserrat Torrent. 100 years in service to musicAll our gratitude falls short when faced with the lady of the organ.