Núria Espert and Joan Manuel Serrat, Gold Medals of the Generalitat

BarcelonaThe Catalan Government has approved, at the proposal of the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, awarding the Gold Medal of the Generalitat of Catalonia to Núria Espert and Joan Manuel Serrat. It is the highest distinction awarded by the Generalitat, recognizing "careers of excellence and an extraordinary contribution to the country." The medals will be presented on Monday, December 22, at 6:00 p.m., in an official ceremony at the Palau de la Generalitat. "It's an unexpected recognition, which I will receive with great joy and satisfaction. I must have become very great to receive this award," Serrat said this Tuesday at the end of a press conference at Club 62, in the Paral·lel 62 venue in Barcelona, ​​where he was accompanied by Bardagí, who for many years was Serrat's friend and musical collaborator, for the presentation of his new album.

The Gold Medal awarded to Núria Espert (Hospitalet de Llobregat, 1935) recognizes "an exceptional artistic career spanning more than seven decades, which has made her one of the leading figures in contemporary performing arts." As an actress and director of theater and opera, Espert is one of the grande dames of European theater. Prior to the Gold Medal of the Generalitat, she received the Creu de Sant Jordi (Cross of Saint George), the National Theater Prize, the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts, the National Culture Prize, the Pau Casals Prize, and the Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts, among others. Regarding Joan Manuel Serrat (Barcelona, ​​1943), who retired from the stage three years ago, the Government "wishes to honor the exceptional artistic career and profound civic and humanist commitment" of a "key figure in Catalan and universal culture." Serrat was one of the central figures of the Nova Cançó movement and has built "a body of work that has united music, poetry, and shared values, with an international reach sustained for decades."