LISTENING CLUB: MINDFUL LISTENING AS AN ARTISTIC PRACTICE AND A COMMUNAL ACT

We live at a time when music is everywhere, yet we no longer really listen to it. Digital platforms have fragmented the listening experience into isolated pieces, optimised for short attention spans and continuous playback. Listening Club aims to reclaim deep listening as a collective experience.

This initiative stems from a partnership between two long-established cultural venues in Santiago de Compostela—the CGAC and Modus Vivendi—which share a commitment to creating spaces for attention, connection and community around culture.

The project will take shape through two complementary formats, culminating in a concert in the CGAC auditorium. Participants at both venues will become the collective driving force behind the event: a group of strangers, brought together by the experience of attentive listening, will offer the city a concert that moves away from noise, the logic of festivity and spectacle, proposing instead a different way of engaging with music.

At Modus Vivendi, on the last Sunday of each month, there will be a silent listening session devoted to an album revealed at that moment. Following a brief introduction, participants will listen to the album from start to finish, before moving on to a conversation focused more on the emotions experienced than on musical analysis.

At the CGAC, the starting point will not be an album, but a work of art. Works from the current exhibitions, or Álvaro Siza’s architecture, will serve as the cover image, providing the visual and conceptual impetus for a playlist created specifically for each session. The music amplifies what the artwork evokes; the artwork guides what the music reveals. Two languages that listen to one another.

Each session will be accompanied by a listening guide in zine format, designed and produced by Santi Araújo for each occasion.

SANTI ARAÚJO (Ponteareas, Pontevedra, 1983) is a musician, composer and journalist. He trained in audiovisual production and has released four albums on the Ernie Records label: Canciones para bailar (2024), Suelta Ø Muerde (2022), Catedral (2019) and Esto es normal (La Familia, 2011).

He runs Listening Club (2025-2026) and has contributed to national radio programmes on stations including RNE and Onda Cero. He publishes 5 cosas que descubrí esta semana, a newsletter on music, technology and digital culture.

CGAC PROGRAMME

Sessions will begin at 8.15 p.m. and will last between 35 and 50 minutes each.

19 October 2026. Registration period: 7-15 October 2026

18 November 2026. Registration period: 6-16 November 2026

22 February 2027. Registration period: 12-18 February 2027

16 March 2027. Registration period: 5-12 March 2027

20 May 2027. Registration period: 5-18 May 2027

MODUS VIVENDI PROGRAMME

Sessions will begin at 5.00 p.m. and will last between 60 and 75 minutes each.

25 October 2026

22 November 2026

13 December 2026

31 January 2027

28 February 2027

28 March 2027

25 April 2027

30 May 2027

REGISTRATION AT CGAC

The activity is free and open to anyone interested in contemporary culture. The number of places available will vary depending on the capacity of the exhibition rooms. Those interested must send an email to cgac.educacion@xunta.gal within the registration period specified for each session. The email must include the following details: first name, surname, educational background, area of work or interest, an email address and a contact telephone number. A maximum of two people may register per application (full details must be provided for each participant).

REGISTRATION AT MODUS VIVENDI

The activity is open to anyone interested in music. There are 20 places available per session. Those interested may register by sending their details to pubmodusvivendi@gmail.com.