The summit’s academic partners include the Global Leaders Institute, Harvard University and the EY Academy of Business, thereby reinforcing its global scope, methodological rigour and focus on leadership and applied innovation. This is an international certified training programme on innovation that took place in the city throughout the week and through which Cáceres aims to position itself as a strategic meeting place for cultural exchange, innovative thinking and results-oriented international collaboration.
Pedro Centeno, Director General of the Global Leaders Institute, explained that this initiative forms part of the MBA programme in cultural innovation developed by his organisation, “a project centred on innovation and its capacity to add value to people’s lives”. Consequently, the aim is for international and local stakeholders to “learn the basic concepts of innovation together and apply them to the specific challenges facing Cáceres and Extremadura”.
The general coordinator of Cáceres 2031, Iris Jugo, has pointed out that “it is a further step in the candidacy to strengthen international networks and promote collaborative work between cultural agents from around the world and local agents.” The aim is to see “how we can continue this dialogue on innovation tools in culture and how we can give Cáceres a much more international profile.”
For his part, the Councillor for Culture of the City Council of Cáceres, Jorge Suárez, has highlighted that “Europe has to be in Cáceres and the people of Cáceres have to collaborate with European concepts, because these synergies are what make us greater.” That, he added, is one of the key aspects of the Cáceres candidacy.
Concert featuring international artists
As part of the Cáceres 2026 Innovation Summit, a truly special concert, Cáceres Global, was held, featuring four world-renowned international artists.
Jacob Ormaza-Vera (Ecuador), Yiyun Zhao (Canada/China), Dr Sara Hubrich (Germany) and Carlos Vargas (Dominican Republic) performed pieces by Mozart, Shostakovich, Bartók and Manuel de Falla, as well as Ecuadorian, Romanian and Dominican songs.
Carlos Manuel Vargas is an assistant professor at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and director of the young artists’ programme at the FIME Festival in Esmeraldas. Originally from the Dominican Republic, Vargas is co-founder of the Macondo Chamber Players and founder of the Roxbury Piano Programme and the Roxbury concert series in Boston. Jacob Ormaza-Vera, for his part, is concertmaster of the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln and director of the Guayaquil Master Classes. He has performed as a soloist with professional orchestras in Ecuador and has won several first prizes in Ecuador, as well as in international competitions in Lithuania and the Netherlands.
Yiyun Zhao, a violinist, is the founder of the A-Strings Festival and a digital creator with 200,000 followers. Originally from China and residing in Canada, Zhao is dedicated to maintaining access to classical music and is currently a doctoral candidate at McGill University. Finally, Dr. Sara Hubrich is a professor of Music in the Context of Cultural Work at the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. She is a violinist and violist and combines expanded interpretations with a creative commitment to the community through her performa
Closing Forum
In keeping with its open and participatory ethos, the day concluded with a public forum open to citizens at the Teatro Capitol, during which the projects developed were presented to a symbolic jury representing the public, private and cultural sectors, thereby strengthening the community dimension and dialogue between the various sectors
The Innovation Summit Cáceres 2026 aligns with the strategic objectives of Cáceres 2031 to promote cultural innovation, strengthen international cooperation and consolidate a competitive and sustainable creative ecosystem. The event is also supported by the Ateneo de Cáceres, the Official Association of Architects of Extremadura and the Tatiana Foundation.
