The Pepe Romero Málaga International Guitar Festival 2026 will reserve one of the most symbolic concerts of its entire fifth edition for its final night. On Wednesday, 30 September 2026, Málaga-born guitarist Pepe Romero will return to Teatro Cervantes to close the festival alongside the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor José María Moreno.
The concert will bring together two very different musical worlds, united by the central role of the large orchestra: the Spanish music of Joaquín Rodrigo, with the Concierto de Aranjuez at its heart, and a second half devoted to some of John Williams‘ most recognisable film scores.
It will therefore be a closing event that goes far beyond a guitar recital, turning the festival’s final night into a major symphonic concert with a programme designed to connect the history of the Spanish guitar with orchestral repertoire of enormous international popularity.
Quick answer: Pepe Romero will close the Málaga Guitar Festival 2026 on 30 September at 20:00 at Teatro Cervantes, accompanied by the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra and José María Moreno. The programme includes Joaquín Rodrigo’s A la búsqueda del más allá and Concierto de Aranjuez, as well as a broad selection of music by John Williams. The published ticket price is €20.
Pepe Romero’s presence on the final day carries a special significance. Born in Málaga in 1944, he belongs to one of the most influential Spanish guitar families of the 20th and 21st centuries. Together with his father, Celedonio Romero, and his brothers Celín and Ángel, the Romero name became an international reference through the Romero Quartet and a career that took the Spanish guitar to leading concert halls and orchestras around the world.
The fifth edition of the festival once again uses this link between Málaga and the guitar’s international reach as part of its identity. Pepe Romero is not simply the musician whose name the event carries: the closing concert is built around his own artistic history, his relationship with Joaquín Rodrigo and the international journey of the Romero family.
The concert brings together several elements that explain its importance within the programme: Pepe Romero’s return to his home city, the participation of the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra, the Concierto de Aranjuez as one of the central works and a second half devoted to John Williams.
The evening is also dedicated to Celín Romero, on the 90th anniversary of his birth, and to Ángel Romero, who celebrates his 80th anniversary. The finale therefore works as a family tribute, a symphonic concert and the institutional closing of a festival held in Málaga from 4 to 30 September.
For the full programme, venues, prices and artists, see our complete guide to the Pepe Romero International Guitar Festival 2026.
The concert will begin with A la búsqueda del más allá, a symphonic poem Joaquín Rodrigo composed in the 1970s after receiving a commission connected with the United States Bicentennial celebrations. The work also connects with two commemorative themes of this edition: the 125th anniversary of Joaquín Rodrigo’s birth and the 250th anniversary of United States independence.
Then comes the great moment for Pepe Romero as soloist: the Concierto de Aranjuez. Few works have achieved comparable worldwide recognition within the repertoire for guitar and orchestra. Its celebrated Adagio is known far beyond specialist audiences and has played a decisive role in establishing the Spanish guitar in major symphonic seasons.
The relationship between Joaquín Rodrigo and the Romeros was both artistic and personal. The family performed and promoted his music for decades, and Pepe Romero became one of its leading interpreters.
That bond means the Concierto de Aranjuez appears in the closing concert as much more than a famous work: it becomes one of the narrative threads explaining the international dimension of both the composer and the Málaga guitarist.
The first half will be performed by Pepe Romero, the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra and José María Moreno, an especially symbolic combination with which to close an edition of a festival bearing the soloist’s own name.
After Rodrigo’s music, the second half will completely change atmosphere with a selection of works by John Williams. This choice makes the finale especially accessible to a broad audience: even listeners who do not regularly follow classical music will recognise many melodies associated with some of the most popular films of recent decades.
The official programme includes music from Superman, Schindler’s List, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Indiana Jones, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. and Star Wars.
Pepe Romero will return as soloist in the piece listed by the official programme as Stolen Memories, connected with Schindler’s List.
Joaquín Rodrigo
John Williams
The programme’s design is no coincidence. The festival presents the evening as a musical conversation between Spain and the United States. Joaquín Rodrigo and the Romero family both had an important presence on the North American concert circuit, while John Williams’s music represents one of the great symphonic languages to emerge from American cinema.
Rodrigo himself travelled to the United States and composed A la búsqueda del más allá for a commemoration linked to the American Bicentennial. The Romeros, meanwhile, developed a fundamental part of their international career there after settling in California.
An important distinction should be made for readers of Tablaos Flamencos: no, Pepe Romero’s closing concert is not a flamenco concert. Pepe Romero is primarily a classical guitarist, and the event on 30 September belongs to the world of symphonic music.
Its presence in our coverage makes sense within a festival where flamenco guitar also has a prominent place. They are different musical languages, although they share the Spanish guitar tradition and a common cultural context.
This coexistence of classical and flamenco guitar is precisely one of the distinctive features of Málaga’s September programme.
The concert is scheduled for 30 September at 20:00 at Teatro Cervantes. Both the festival website and the theatre programme list a single ticket price of €20. Sales are handled through UniEntradas.
As this is the festival finale, a performance by Pepe Romero himself in Málaga and a programme featuring the Concierto de Aranjuez, we recommend checking availability before travelling.
Tickets for other concerts in this edition have already sold out, so availability may change as the date approaches.
You can check the official information on the Málaga Guitar Festival website.
Although Pepe Romero’s closing concert belongs to classical guitar and symphonic music, the fifth Málaga International Guitar Festival features a strong flamenco presence throughout September. The Trasnoches Flamencos series brings together guitar, singing and dance on several dates in the programme.
Artists taking part this year include Alejandro Hurtado with Inmaculada Salomón, El Amir, Pituquete with Encarna Anillo, Daniel Casares, José Fermín Fernández, Joni Jiménez with Jesús Méndez and Ricardo Fernández del Moral.
If flamenco is your main interest, see our guide to all the Trasnoches Flamencos concerts in Málaga 2026.
If you are visiting Málaga for the concert and want to add a flamenco experience to your stay, the city offers regular shows throughout the year. Unlike the festival, which takes place on specific dates, tablaos make it easier to organise an evening of singing, dance and guitar with greater flexibility.
Our guide to flamenco in Málaga includes tablaos, show characteristics and booking options.
It is an especially interesting combination for a multi-day visit: a symphonic concert at Teatro Cervantes and, on another evening, a flamenco show centred on the traditional tablao format.
The final night of the Málaga International Guitar Festival 2026 brings together almost all the elements that define the event: Pepe Romero, Málaga, the Spanish guitar, a major orchestra and an international outlook.
The Concierto de Aranjuez provides the strongest link with the Spanish guitar tradition; John Williams opens the programme to symphonic repertoire recognisable to very different audiences; and the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra turns the finale into an event on a larger scale than a conventional recital.
For anyone following the festival throughout September, the concert on the 30th is the true closing event of the edition. For those attending it independently, it is also an opportunity to hear Pepe Romero in his home city inside one of Málaga’s historic theatres.
Pepe Romero performs on Wednesday, 30 September 2026 at 20:00 in the closing concert of the fifth Málaga International Guitar Festival.
The closing concert is held at Teatro Cervantes in Málaga.
The programme includes Joaquín Rodrigo’s A la búsqueda del más allá and Concierto de Aranjuez. The second half features a selection of music by John Williams, and Pepe Romero will return as soloist in a piece connected with Schindler’s List.
He is accompanied by the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor José María Moreno.
The published price for the closing concert is €20 per ticket. We recommend checking current availability before buying.
No. Pepe Romero is a classical guitarist and the finale is a symphonic concert. Flamenco appears on other festival dates through Trasnoches Flamencos, featuring guitarists, singers and dancers.
The fifth edition ends on 30 September 2026 with this concert at Teatro Cervantes.
In many cities, flamenco tablaos sell out easily, especially on weekends and during peak season. That’s why, if your dates are set, the most important thing is to book online.
Direct recommendation: book online through our website to guarantee your seat and arrive with everything confirmed. If you already have your destination, go straight to your city to see available options and clear recommendations.
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