Mirlos News · December
Paths for Art & Technology
[ in Spanish HERE ]
From our studio, Mirlo introduces in this News, the digital tools that we are going to use from now on, and that we encourage you to try. We are starting with our ESSENTIALS that you will find below, and in 2026 we will continue to complete our list with our favorite services for independent authors.
But, first Manuel brings us his news from the real world, and Georgina shares some books for reflection and action... maybe a good gift for the upcoming holidays. 😉
Getting ready for Christmas
by Manuel Gimferrer
I’m not going to get long because I bring you some audios and images of my last weeks. And you know that an audio and a picture are worth a thousand words.
It was very exciting to prepare the Filarmonía Christmas Concert at the Auditorio Nacional. It was a tremendous success with its exciting moments and a premiere in Spain, the most applauded of the night: Three Songs from the film Home Alone. In these pieces I had to intervene modestly as arranger of the choral part, and the result was great thanks to the interpretation of the Orchestra and Choir.
I was also in charge of the subtitles, which were accompanied by carefully selected images of Art. The Rockwell I leave here is the one that accompanied John Williams’ Merry Christmas, for example.
The truth is that I really enjoyed this task, especially with the works of the French repertoire... it was a fantastic program, indeed! And I am told that these projected subtitles - discreet but very careful - allow the public to follow the concert better and without having to consult the hand program at all. Thanks to Maestro Osa for allowing me this contribution.
The other two upcoming holiday programs of the Orquesta y Coro Filarmonía are also highly anticipated: Viena en Madrid (December 26), and Harry Potter & Star Wars (January 3).
Moreover, this year I have had the great fortune to conduct my beloved choir of Velilla de San Antonio in two very Christmas concerts: the first one was for the Christmas tree lighting event in the square, the second one in the Municipal Auditorium. I think we all had a great time, and we are already thinking about the repertoire for the next quarter...
Last but not least, a few weeks ago, in the midst of all this work, the opportunity arose to perform some songs with a friend of the Filarmonia choir who is also a very special soloist singer, Marina Lorenzo. With her I will be at the Café Libertad 8 (Madrid) next Saturday at 13h 30… Meet me there!
I will tell you more about other projects for 2026 later,
BOOKS for reflection and action
by Georgina
In the last two years I have been consistently learning about personal finances, something that is not part of educational programs, and which does not usually interest writers, illustrators and artists in general (there are exceptions, of course). I, like so many of my generation and generations before and after, grew up financially illiterate. In Spain, where I have always worked, and in my particular environment, money is a topic that is not talked about naturally, it is almost a taboo subject... until today. A first question we can ask ourselves is: who benefits from this general financial illiteracy, and then, how can we remedy this gap?
Fortunately today there are many sources to start learning, courses, podcasts/videos, and especially books/audiobooks that can open our eyes to a healthy management of what is ours, if we put our mind to it...
Taking the reins of your life from awareness, regaining control of your economy with the guidance and tools we have in our hands today is possible.
The three books that I leave here are brief, and also impressive. They can help you to embark on your path, the one that nobody told you about at school, neither anybody tells you about today in the general media. They can point you to your path to financial freedom.
The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason [Audible-4h 27m]
The Psychology ofMoney by Morgan Housel [Audible-7h 02m]
This book will save you time by Misir Mahmudov [Audible-1h 19m]
Each of these books is a starting point to open our eyes to the responsibility we each have. They can also lead to family conversations, the kind that matter to everyone, including children. There is no excuse anymore, nor will complaining save us. It is time to get ready to act for our own good.
In 2026, I will continue to share readings on Technology and Personal Finance, with the rights and best interest of independent authors and artists in mind. Always with deep gratitude to all those authors who are accompanying me on my own path.
For you, who is reading these lines, I trust that my readings are good sources, and that you are guided by your curiosity, which is your best compass to form your own criteria. As they say: DYOR - Do Your Own Research 🧐
3 ESSENTIALS for 2026
by Mirlo
On the web as in life, we must choose our tools well, and make sure that they do not harm us... we must try to make a healthy use of the Internet, with software that does not invade our privacy, that does not take away our freedom or time.
For 2026, we are going to opt for:
Encrypted Email and Drive —> ProtonMail
Private messaging —> Signal
Non-invasive browser and search engine —> Brave Browser & Search
We will continue to complete this list with our preferences in software tools in the next News...
¡See you soon!
Mirlo.studio