She has traveled halfway around the world as an organist, and this afternoon she will play the organ at the Cathedral of Teruel, offering a concert as a prelude to the III National Congress of Rural Schools taking place this Friday, May 16, in Teruel. Ester Ciudad is one of the few four or five organists in Spain, the only one in Aragon, a calling she has combined with cultural management and teaching. The organ is part of me; it has made me resilient she asserts in this interview and has confronted me with myself. I believe the instrument chose me.
What makes the organ special? Whenever I am asked, I have to return to my childhood, which is when we absorb and experience things that leave a mark on us. I come from a very Christian family deeply involved in the religious and cultural life of Ejea de los Caballeros. I spent a lot of time in the hermitage of the Virgen de la Oliva, which my mother cared for, and for some reason, I felt drawn to and connected with it. Life has been very generous to me because when I went to France for an exchange program with a friend, her grandfather was an organist, and I found myself in the same environment.
Do you feel like part of a minority, musically speaking? What has this process been like? Education is at a very interesting moment. There are highly skilled musicians, almost all of whom have had to go abroad to study, not because we haven’t had good training here, but because that is what European higher education requires at this time. In the world of the organ, going abroad is much more important due to the nature of the instrument, its requirements, and needs. An organist is not made in a parish; they are made in the world because each organ, in each location, has its peculiarities and differences. The organ I studied in Toulouse is nothing like the one I later studied in Freiburg or Ghent, or in Aragon, with their constructive, aesthetic, and sonic peculiarities. Each organ requires a particular repertoire, and to become an organist, it is essential to know as many organs as possible. In my case, I studied in Zaragoza, then moved to Barcelona, Freiburg (Germany), Toulouse, and Ghent.
Have you played many organs around the world? More than 200, for sure. I have played almost all the organs in Aragon; I have also played extensively in Spain and in France, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Mexico, Austria, Norway, etc. In many towns, there is an organ in every parish, and undoubtedly, this is a very important element of territorial and cultural cohesion.
It is easy to have a guitar, a violin, a clarinet, or even a piano at home. But with the organ, it becomes complicated. Is it an unknown instrument? Does the audience understand the musicality of the organ? It is truly a mysterious instrument. Over the years, I have identified two types of audiences that come to concerts. One either likes the instrument and knows it, while the other has never heard it before, is surprised, and is captivated. This second type of audience is fascinated by an instrument they did not know existed, with a repertoire they have never heard before that speaks directly to their hearts. Interestingly, the organ appeared before the modern piano, in the 3rd century BC. It is the instrument with the richest organological history in the world because, since it was invented in the 3rd century until the 21st century, it has continued to evolve and has always had music composed for it.
What was your teaching experience like at the Conservatories of Zaragoza and Teruel? I have genuinely explored all educational areas, teaching for 25 years in higher conservatories and previously in secondary and primary education. I am very proud of my contributions at the Conservatory of Zaragoza, where I taught for 14 years and had up to 16 students each year. A milestone because I barely had 3 students when I started. Even Monserrat Torrent, the dean of Spanish organists, said I had created a school. Humbly, I believe I did a good job with my students, an intense and impactful effort.
In addition to being an organ concert artist and teacher, you are heavily involved in cultural and educational management. Yes. There is more than one Ester. One is the professional performer, but there is another Ester, a lover of public management and cultural action. Through the Kultus Foundation, of which I am president, we organize the National Forum of Culture, as well as activities to promote our heritage throughout Aragon. We have initiated cycles, conferences, festivals, live sessions, and productions such as the one we developed on the Camino de Santiago in collaboration with Neopercusión, the Advent Festival, etc. The instrument needs to transcend to be promoted and to make it known.
What role can music, and particularly the organ, play in the context of rural education? Music is a fundamental discipline that generates not only cultural industry and job placement. There are many schools fulfilling a social cohesion function in the rural world throughout Aragon, in addition to performing an essential educational role, occupying free time, away from digital educational tools, fostering sensitivity, discipline, and good taste… This work is crucial, and I believe the role of music in rural areas is very noteworthy. The organ, in particular, has historically been a common element across the entire territory, much more than other cultural expressions. In every village, there were parishes, and in many of them, an organ. It has been fundamental, not only in musical production but also in knowledge transmission for a long time.
