Llíria

Llíria is a Mediterranean city located in the agricultural Valencian region of the Turia Valley in Spain. Today, music is a fundamental part of Llíria’s cultural identity, and the city is internationally recognized for its music scene. The city has a long-standing musical history tracing back as far as to the 3rd century BC. Over time, the city has developed its musical reputation and continues to boost its music sector by devoting around US$ 2.3 million annually, which is 10.38% of the city’s budget, to its continued growth.

Throughout the year, Llíria hosts a variety of music events including the Gastronomía y Música de Llíria. This popular jazz festival combines music with local gastronomy and Llírian heritage, providing a platform for artists, as well as showcasing regional cuisine. In addition to organising music festivals, the city also holds a number of competitions aimed at music professionals and young artists, encouraging new and emerging performers, as well as providing ongoing support to those in the industry. Since 2005, the Llíria International Competition for Young Performers has become a prominent event, endorsing upcoming artists on a global stage and focusing on promoting traditional and classical music.

Music, and the support of the musical sector, play a key role in several local government policies, including a local suppliers procurement measure, which seeks to contract live performing events in order to empower and increase the competitiveness of local companies. Other strategies promote the signing of young professional musicians within local concerts, with the aim of supporting them expand their music careers by increasing awareness surrounding their talents and giving them the opportunity to perform on a regular basis.

• sharing century-old musical methods within the UCCN Network;
• increasing the visibility of local cultural creators;
• exchanging good practices with all the partners of the Network, creating cooperation bridges in all areas and offering examples of Leiria’s cultural regeneration and how it brings people together;
• fostering multidisciplinary and multicultural co-creation by supporting small and large scale projects;
• demonstrating how the use of culture, as a driver of cultural development, accelerates economic and social development in a post-crisis territory; and
• creating an observatory to provide qualitative and quantitative measurement and systematic evaluation of the potential of the cultural network at both local and international levels.