Amanda Velasco Díaz, a 28-year-old vocational training teacher, has been crowned the winner of the ‘Voces de Gáldar 2026’ gala. The event, organized by the Culture and Festivities department of the Gáldar City Council, aims to highlight and reward the musical talent within the municipality.
During the gala, held on the stage of the Plaza de Santiago as part of the 544th Fiestas Mayores de Santiago, Velasco captivated the audience and jury with an emotional piano rendition of the song “Hoy tengo ganas de ti”, originally by Alejandro Fernández. She outperformed a total of 16 contestants, marking one of the editions with the highest participation.
Velasco, daughter of a music teacher, has been involved with musical expression since childhood, having studied piano and music theory, and was part of the choir at the Gáldar Music School. Despite her background, this is her first time participating in the competition.
The prize of 3,000 euros encourages her to consider new avenues for her artistic career. "I like my job as a teacher, but this is my passion, and dedicating a part of my life to music would be my dream," she confessed.
Other participants who showcased excellent skill included Alejandro Jesús Moreno Fleitas with “Pikito”, Mishel Palencia Pérez with “Pa´donde se fue”, Beatriz Díaz Díaz with “Rolling in the Deep”, Luis Ernesto Almanza Puerto performing “El Rey”, Amaia Quintana Ramos with “Parte de tu mundo”, Enzo Quintana Ramos singing “Voy a ser el Rey León”, Valeria Medina Díaz with “Blanco y negro”, Martina Medina Díaz with “Mas que soñar”, Yanely Godoy Santana performing “Cuando mi vida va a comenzar”, Ayleen Alemán Rodríguez with “¡Suéltalo!”, Roselyn Daniela Pernia Pérez who performed “Bajo el Mar”, Alexander Castro Reguera with the song “Aquí me tienes”, Dylan Castro Reguera performing “Alfa y Omega”, Sonia Isabel Ramos Machín with the song “No callaré”, and Natalia Castellano Estupiñán with “90 minutos”.
The first deputy mayor and councilor for Culture and Festivities, Julio Mateo Castillo, presented a commemorative token to all participants and the main prize to the winner.
Contestants had a maximum of five minutes to perform their chosen song live for a technical jury composed of singer Isabel Díaz Cruz (winner of Voces de Gáldar 2025), singer and musician Ana Gil, and musician Jorge Granados. The popular vote, cast via the Gáldar City Council's mobile application, accounted for 50 percent of the final score.
The gala attracted a large audience who also enjoyed performances by Antonio Melián, Nayara Talavera Santana, and Cris Giannttasio. The Fiestas Mayores de Santiago are organized by the Culture and Festivities department of the Gáldar City Council.
The full program of events, including schedules and locations, is available on galdar.es and @ayuntamientodegaldar.
