Two research projects on music, peace and cultural resistance receive international recognition
The Pau Casals UNESCO Chair, led by the Pau Casals Foundation and the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), has announced the winners of the 2025 international research grants call.
This third edition received 58 proposals from 27 countries, focusing on Pablo Casals’ musical and humanistic legacy, peacebuilding, and the role of music in conflict and repression contexts.
2025 Awarded Projects
1. “Pau Casals and the Nobel Peace Prize: a candidacy during the Cold War”
Researcher: Dr. Joan Esculies Serrat
This study explores the nomination efforts for Pau Casals to receive the Nobel Peace Prize during the Cold War, highlighting his political influence, the response from the international community, and the connection between Catalan exiles and U.S. foreign policy.
2. “Music against conscription: cultural resistance and anti-militarist protest in Spain (1984–2002)”
Researchers: Andrés López Estapé and Violeta Caballero Caballero (Institute for Peace and Conflict – IPAZ)
The research examines how anti-militarist music in 1980s–90s Spain served as a form of artistic resistance, political expression, and social cohesion in opposition to compulsory military service.
Institutional support
Both projects receive financial support, expert guidance, and access to the Pablo Casals Archive at the Arxiu Nacional de Catalunya, with the backing of the Spanish Society of Performance Artists (AIE).
Previous grant editions
- 2023 (available in the Chair Papers Collection):
- “The evolution of international protection mechanisms for musicians” – Laurence Cuny
- “From Festívola to the Prelude of El Pessebre” – Anna Costal and Albert Fontelles
- 2024 (in progress):
- “The musical aesthetics of Pau Casals” – Magda Polo
- “Music’s role in UN peacebuilding” – John Gledhill
🔗 Links of interest