Tuesday, March 11, 7 p.m.
Premio-Real dans la capitale: A sentimental journey of a Spanish aristocrat and diplomat in Quebec City in the 19th century
It’s hard to imagine these days that a person could be a poet, researcher, architect, civil engineer, mathematician, composer, patron of the arts and seasoned diplomat at the same time. From 1874 to 1888, Quebec City had the fortune of having as a resident this true renaissance man, José Antonio de Lavalle Romero y Montezuma, better known as His Excellency the Count of Premio-Real, Consul General of Spain for the Dominion of Canada and the British and French possessions in North America.
Author of numerous works relating to areas of his expertise, ranging from a mathematical essay on laying out of curves to a collection of Iberian aphorisms, he founded in Quebec the “Club des 21”, a literary association made up of illustrious men of letters. Through its patronage, Premio-Real acted as a true catalyst and enabled the artistic development of great musicians, notably as honorary president of the Septuor Haydn. Several of his contemporaries paid tribute to the noble Spaniard by personally dedicating him works including the maestros Calixa Lavallée and Joseph Vézina as well as the national poet Louis Fréchette. He was a member of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec.
Presenter Biography
Tommy Byrne has been honorary consul of Spain in Quebec City since 2017. He divides his time between managing international relations and culture, history and heritage projects. Tommy Byrne holds a B.A. in International Studies from Glendon College of York University (Toronto) and a Diploma of Advanced Studies in International Relations from the Geneva Graduate Institute.
This event will be hybrid.
This event is made possible thanks to support from the Government of Canada and the Zeller Family Foundation.