Spanish baritone Luis Llaneza will offer master classes to young Filipino singers at the University of Santo Tomás on November 14 and at the Philippine Women’s University on November 19. He will also perform in a concert at the University of Santo Tomás on November 22.

Spain participates in QCinema, a ten-day international film festival beginning November 14, showcasing its film industry while supporting Philippine cinema.

The European Higher Education Fair will take place at Robinsons Manila’s Midtown Atrium on November 21 and 22. Thirteen Spanish universities will present higher education opportunities to Filipino students interested in studying in Spain.

Spanish marine biologist Isabel Nuñez will visit Saint Pedro Poveda College, the University of the Philippines, and Everest Academy Manila to speak on reef ecosystem preservation. On November 28, architects Juan Ramón Jiménez and Jesús Pulido will hold a lecture at National University on Architecture and Urban Planning during the Spanish Period, drawing from their research on Intramuros, Parian, San Nicolás, Cavite, Cebu, and Davao.

The Spanish Women’s Futsal Team will meet students in Manila and compete in the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup 2025 at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City on November 22, 25, and 28 against Thailand, Colombia, and Canada.

Ongoing exhibitions include Four Centuries of Spanish Engineering Overseas at the Centro de Turismo in Intramuros, A Synergy of Ventures: The Post-War Art Scene at the Ateneo Art Gallery in celebration of Fernando Zóbel’s centennial until February 2026, and Mezcla: Interwoven Cultures and the Mantón de Manila at the Ayala Museum.

Through these events, the Embassy of Spain continues to strengthen cultural ties, promote shared heritage, and foster people-to-people connections between Spain and the Philippines.

Together with Fernando Zóbel and Juvenal Sansó, the Spanish painter Betsy Westendorp, who considers the Philippines as her adoptive country, is perhaps the contemporary artist who best represents the connection between Spanish and Filipino art.

In its efforts to promote outstanding women on National Women’s Month, an exhibition in honor of Ms. Westendorp was initially programmed for March 14. However, it did not push through due to the lockdown. Instead, Instituto Cervantes created a short documentary, giving us a tour of the exhibition and an exclusive interview in which the artist tells us about her life and her work.

The highlight of the event is Betsy’s painting “Passage”, which is of special significance for the artist. This is accompanied by the works of various Filipino and Spanish artists with which they pay tribute to Westendorp, namely Phyllis Zaballero, Ivi Avellana Cosio, Marivic Rufino, Vicky Zubiri, Eva Baró, Carmen Brias, Cristina Grisar and Inma Ortoll.

The documentary will be followed by an interview with fellow artists Phyllis Zaballero and Marivic Rufino, as well as Ms. Tina Colayco, president of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, and finally, a message from Betsy herself.

Creadoras: A Tribute to Betsy Westendorp is presented by Instituto Cervantes and the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines, with the collaboration of the Intramuros Administration and the contributing artists, as well as Manila-born Spanish musician Luis Eduardo Aute.

The link for the event is https://zoom.us/j/95665972044. Access is free of charge and open to all. For further information visit https://manila.cervantes.es or the Facebook page of Instituto Cervantes: www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila.

Please find photos attached.

For further information kindly contact: cenmni@cervantes.es