July 23 2019 marked 10 years since the opening of the Millet case, concerning an embezzlement of 23 million euros; this shook the institution, and also a whole community that regards the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Orfeó Català as a symbol of Catalan culture and the country. Whilst awaiting the Supreme Court’s final ruling, the Orfeó Català and the Palau de la Música Catalana have worked intensively during these 10 years to turn the crisis into an opportunity. An opportunity to return the founding values ​​of the Orfeó and the Palau to the heart of the institution. Ten years later, the Palau has been reborn and transformed, and has regained its enthusiasm, building a solid artistic program that brings the Palau and the Orfeó closer to the community.

In this context, the Palau is presenting its first documentary in the Palau Series. This is an unprecedented documentary, where for the first time it is able to explain everything that happened and how the organisation has been reborn from within, giving voice to everyone involved, who witnessed or lived through the scandal and the rebirth of the Palau. The testimonies of former managers, employees who lived through the events, Orfeó Board members, singers, patrons, public administrations and prominent artists, are all represented. We wanted to give a complete vision of what happened, through a chronological review of the most relevant events, up to and including the Palau and the Orfeó as they are today. In addition, the timing was fortuitous for the recent great performance of Mahler’s 2nd symphony with Gustavo Dudamel and the Orfeo Català, which has become the soundtrack to this documentary about our Resurrection.


2019-2022 Strategic Plan

The Fundació Orfeó Català-Palau de la Música Catalana presented its 2019-2022 Strategic Plan. The presentation of the Plan marks 10 years since the ‘Palau Case’ corruption scandal came to light. The organisation has worked intensively over these 10 years to turn the crisis into an opportunity, reviving the organisation, transforming it and, particularly, restoring the dream by developing a solid artistic project which at the same time brings it closer to the whole community and regains the values for which it was founded. Therefore, this new Strategic Plan represents a new era. Along with all its stakeholders (government bodies, public authorities, members of the Orfeó Català, employees, singers, families of the choirs, patrons, promoters, partner companies and the general public), the Palau aims to continue growing and improving the lives of people every day through music and culture.

The new plan builds on the previous one, adding the new strategic value of innovation and digitisation. Those contained in the previous Plan continue to be key elements: excellence, participation, social commitment and a Catalan identity. These values will be given greater emphasis, especially innovation, which was already present and is now made explicit and emphasised through the concepts of ‘modernity’, ‘creativity’ and ‘risk’ as focal points for the next period.

The 'Resurrection' of the Palau