One of the oldest music festival in Catalonia With a history of thirty years, the Cadaqués Festival is one of the oldest in Catalonia and in Spain. A meeting point for musicians, soloists, conductors and composers of all nationalities, since it was created in 1970 it has been known for its varied programmes that run from the earliest classical to the very latest in contemporary music. Musicians such as Alicia de Larrocha, Pepe Romero, Sir Neville Marriner, Jean Pierre Rampal, M. Rostropovich, have been invited on a regular basis. The festival has had its own resident orchestra since 1992 - the Cadaqués Orchestra. Since then, the Artistic Director of the festival is Llorenç Caballero. Premieres of works by present-day composers The Cadaqués Festival has always been keen to present works by new Catalan and Spanish composers and other lesser-known historical composers. The premiers are therefore one of its principal features: during its thirty years of existence, and particularly since the festival has had its own orchestra, there have been numerous first performances of works by living composers such as Xavier Montsalvatge, Luis de Pablo, Joan Guinjoan, Cristóbal Halffter, Joaquim Homs and Tomás Marco, among others. Launching new players Combining the big international names with young players starting out on their careers has always been one of the festival’s policies, and the latter have included young performers such as Ivo Pogorelich and Alba Ventura. A meeting place for young conductors from all over the world Since 1992, the festival has included the biennial Cadaqués International Competition for Orchestra Conductors (for forty young conductors from around the world), and the finals of the competition are scheduled as the festival's inaugural concert.				In keeping with the spirit of the festival, since 1992 a special work has always been commissioned to be performed during the competition finals. Concerts for children The Cadaqués Festival is particularly interested in bringing music to children, a task that it believes is extremely important for the future of music. Consequently, one or more concerts are devoted especially to youngsters. These concerts for children have included works such as Peter and the wolf and The seven fables of La Fontaine with music by Xavier Benguerel, Liliana by Salvador Brotons, and Babar, the baby elephant set to music by Francis Poulenc. Out-of-the-ordinary recitals In an innovative step, the festival has also occasionally included recitals of unusual solo instruments, such as the double bass, as well as concerts by unusual chamber formations. A reflection of the artistic ambience of Cadaqués The festival has been linked from the outset with the artistic ambience of Cadaqués. Evidence of this are the posters for each of the thirty editions, which include designs by Tàpies, Dalí, Roca-Sastre, Chillida, etc. Church of Santa Maria, Cadaqués The concerts are held in the church of Santa Maria, which is well known for its magnificent Baroque altarpiece.