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Biophilia tour

The Biophilia tour was the seventh concert tour by Icelandic musician Björk. The tour was centered on her multimedia project and studio album Biophilia (2011). The tour premiered at the Manchester International Festival and visited Europe, Americas, Asia, including her first visit to Taiwan, and featured the first performance in Africa.

Biophilia tour
Tour by Björk
Promotional poster for the Zénith concerts
Associated albumBiophilia
Start dateJune 27, 2011 (2011-06-27)
End dateSeptember 7, 2013 (2013-09-07)
No. of shows
  • 36 in Europe
  • 23 in North America
  • 5 in South America
  • 1 in Africa
  • 5 in Asia
  • 70 total
Björk concert chronology

The tour schedule featured both a residency format, with a "in-the-round" stage, in which the singer would perform at the same place during different nights, and a conventional stage format for the festival dates. For the tour and the album, the singer conceived a series of new musical instruments, which were controlled on stage by tablets. Björk wore different nature-inspired dresses by Michael van der Ham, Iris van Herpen, Kokon to Zai and Jeremy Scott. The tour was lauded by music critics.

A documentary on the concept and recording of the album, When Björk Met Attenborough, included different partial performances from the tour, while a concert film, called Björk: Biophilia Live, which chronicled the last full Biophilia concert in London, premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.

Background

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At the end of 2010, Björk confirmed she was working on a new album.[1] In an interview published on Fréttablaðið, the singer stated that the project was midway through the completion and that she hoped to go on tour before the end of 2011.[2] Björk originally conceived the idea for the tour as a house in Iceland where each room would represent a song from the album. When she was contacted from National Geographic they proposed to produce a 3D film from that original idea. Because of that, the singer contacted long time collaborator Michel Gondry and they started to write a script for the movie. Because of the director conflicting schedule with the editing of The Green Hornet, the project was scrapped.[3]

The project was officialised in March 2011, with the announcement of Björk performance at Manchester International Festival.[4] The project, called Biophilia, comprises a series of live performances, a new website, a documentary and a series of apps, besides the release as a music album which is partly composed on an iPad.[5] The Biophilia tour was said to be touring eight cities for three years[6] and to be including a series of workshops for children in collaboration with local schools.[6]

Six performances were planned for the residency in Manchester,[7] with one show being added later and dubbed as a "preview show" on June 27, 2011.[8] In July 2011, Björk was announced as the headliner of Bestival, her only planned outdoor concert of that year.[9] On July 8, 2011, the second residency was announced to be at Harpa in Reykjavík, with six shows planned.[10] The first two shows were also part of Iceland Airwaves.[10] Due to high demand, two more shows were announced,[11] with a last one being announced later.[12] The Icelandic residency went sold out.[13]

 
The Biophilia tour featured a 360° "in-the-round" stage, overlooked by eight flat screens which projected nature-related backdrops during the performances.

In the beginning of 2012, the third residency was announced to take place in New York City, in partnership with The Creators Project and the New York Hall of Science, where six of the ten planned gigs were announced to take place, with the other four being at Roseland Ballroom.[14] However, due to an illness, one show that was to take place at the Hall of Science was rescheduled and moved to the Roseland Ballroom.[15] After the end of the residency, another one was announced at Centro de Exposiciones of Buenos Aires, with the last show taking place at the Estadio G.E.B.A.[16] However, due to the discovery of a nodule on her vocal cords, Björk had to cancel the last show at the Centro de Exposiciones and the concert at the Estadio G.E.B.A.[17] For this reason, Björk cancelled several festival appearances she was supposed to have during the summer of 2012. In November 2012, the singer announced that she underwent surgery to remove the nodule.[18][19]

The tour started again in February 2013, with the fifth residency in Paris, where four concerts took place at the Cirque en Chantier on the Île Seguin and two at the Zénith de Paris.[20] When a fund-raising project appeared on the website for the company Kickstarter, it was stated that the Biophilia tour would visit San Francisco, Los Angeles and Tokyo as the next residencies.[21] The California residency was announced on April 1, 2013, with three dates in Richmond, and three in Los Angeles.[22][23] Once again, because of ticket requests, another date at the Hollywood Palladium was added.[24] On May 21, 2013, the website of music promoters Smash was updated with details on the last Biophilia residency at the Miraikan museum in Tokyo, with three dates to take place at the end of July and the beginning of August.[25] After an announcement was previewed on Björk's official Facebook page,[26] on June 10, 2013, the last Biophilia concert with the "in round format" was announced at the Alexandra Palace of London.[27][28]

Concert synopsis

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The show, here pictured at the Roseland Ballroom in New York, featured Björk accompanied by an Icelandic choir called Graduale Nobili.

Many instruments were created and brought on stage specifically for the shows: a tesla coil, a bespoke pipe organ that accepts digital information, a pin-barrel harp, a midi-controlled gamelan-celesta hybrid, and a pendulum-harp that harnesses the earth’s gravitational pull to create musical patterns. Musicians include Max Weisel (app developer),[29] Matt Robertson (electronics, midi instruments and musical director), Manu Delago (hang drum and percussion), the Icelandic Female Choir and Jón Stefánsson (choir conductor). Jónas Sen (harpsichord, pipe organ and gameleste) also participated in the concerts during the Reykjavík and Paris residencies. Zeena Parkins joined the tour for the North American residencies. Animations by Stephen Malinowski are shown during the performances.[30] A total of 40 songs have been performed.[31]

The show is conceived the following way: the stage is in the middle of the venue with a standing area around it and seats in the background. Björk considered the idea of the circular structure very important since the instruments are set all through the stage and people can flow around it to see all of them. Björk also wanted in to have an intimate, close feeling.

Most of Björk's all-time songs were reworked to fit the aesthetics of the show and were played with the new instruments commissioned exclusively for that purpose. Thus, "Jóga" was played with a pipe organ instead of its characteristical set of strings; "One Day", "Venus as a Boy" and "Possibly Maybe" were played with a hang drum; "You've Been Flirting Again" used a choral arrangement and "Declare Independence", "Pluto", "Possibly Maybe" and "Army of Me" included the performance of a Tesla coil. During the shows in Iceland and Paris, keyboarder Jónas Sen joined to play new versions of "Pleasure is All Mine" on organ and "Vertebrae by Vertebrae" and "Sacrifice" on the harpsichord. Harpist Zeena Parkins joined during the American legs of the tour and also played a reworked version of "Sacrifice" with a harp.

Broadcasts and recordings

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See also: When Björk Met Attenborough and Björk: Biophilia Live
 
Björk's performance of "Thunderbolt" live at Manchester International Festival was released as a music video.

When the Biophilia project was first unveiled, it was announced that a documentary including footage of studio recording, interviews and rehearsal for the live performances, which would culminate in the first live performance at the Manchester International Festival, was in the works.[32] It was also stated that the Manual Edition of Biophilia would include essays by Nikki Dibben, design, drawing and live photography by M/M Paris, additional photography by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, along with a bonus disc of exclusive material.[33] Before the release of the album it was confirmed that the second disc would include a live recording of the Biophilia show in Manchester.[34][35] The live recording of "Solstice" that was included in this disc is the official version featured in the Biophilia album.[36] After the debut of the residency, the official website of the Manchester International Festival posted footage from the show, including snippets from "Thunderbolt" and "Moon".[37] Another snippet from the latter performance was shown on BBC Scotland.[38] On November 3, 2011, the performance of "Thunderbolt" was released as a music video on Spotify.[39]

While the original idea for the documentary never materialised,[40] the project evolved as a mutual collaboration between David Attenborough and Björk herself.[41] The English naturalist had previously provided the spoken introduction for the live shows and the apps.[41] The documentary, directed by Louise Hooper, explored the relation between men, music and technology and blends with rehearsal footage from the Biophilia tour and snippets from the live show. The forementioned performance of "Thunderbolt" in Manchester is partially included, along with a partial recording of "Cosmogony" live at the 2012 World Sacred Music Festival in Fes. It was narrated by English actress Tilda Swinton and, along with a discussion between Attenborough and Björk, included interventions by British-American neurologist Oliver Sacks. The documentary first aired on Channel 4 on July 27, 2013 as When Björk Met Attenborough.[42] On March 21, 2014, it was announced that the documentary would be released on May 5, 2014 on DVD and Blu-ray.[43][44]

After Björk dedicated "Declare Independence" to the Pussy Riot, Pitchfork posted a recording from the performance at Flow Festival in Helsinki.[45] When the fifth Biophilia residency was announced in Paris, it was specified that the February 27, 2013, concert at the Cirque en Chantier would be filmed.[46] However, this not realised. After the start of the residency in San Francisco, an Instagram account which was opened to follow the tour was followed by a three-part video diary of the behind the scenes and rehearsal of the San Francisco shows.[47] The three videos were released on May 21,[48] May 23[49] and May 25,[50] respectively. The Instagram account has posted several short videos of rehearsal and photos from the tour.[51] The September 3, 2013 show at Alexandra Palace in London was recorded.[52][53] On March 26, 2014, the recording was confirmed to have its worldwide debut at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival on April 26, 2014. The film, aptly called Björk: Biophilia Live was directed by Peter Strickland and Nick Fenton.[54][55]

Opening acts

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Songs performed

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Björk performing "Solstice" live at the Cirque en Chantier on February 24, 2013.
Song Album
"Cosmogony" (Contains an intro with parts from "Arc Descents" during most festival dates) Biophilia
"Crystalline" Biophilia
"Mutual Core" Biophilia
"Thunderbolt" Biophilia
"Declare Independence" Volta
"Moon" Biophilia
"Hollow" Biophilia
"Náttúra" Biophilia (Bonus Track)
"Virus" Biophilia
"Hidden Place" Vespertine
"Mouth's Cradle" Medúlla
"Dark Matter" Biophilia
"Pagan Poetry" Vespertine
"Solstice" Biophilia
"One Day" (First time performed since 1997) Debut
"Jóga" Homogenic
"Sacrifice" Biophilia
"Possibly Maybe" Post
"Isobel" Post
"Hunter" Homogenic
"Óskasteinar" (Sung by the choir as an introduction) Traditional song
"Sonnets/Unrealities XI" Medúlla
"Where Is the Line" (Performed with Mike Patton on May 28, 2013)[60] Medúlla
"Pluto" Homogenic
"Generous Palmstroke" Vespertine (B-Side)
"Heirloom" Vespertine
"Vertebræ by Vertebræ" Volta
"Unravel" Homogenic
"Hyperballad" Post
"All Is Full of Love" Homogenic
"Army of Me" Post
"You've Been Flirting Again" Post
"It's Not Up to You" Vespertine
"Pleasure Is All Mine" Medúlla
"Who Is It" Medúlla
"Bachelorette" Homogenic
"Immature" Homogenic
"Undo" Vespertine
"Unison" Vespertine
"Venus as a Boy" Debut

Tour dates

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Björk performing "Isobel" live at the Cirque en Chantier on February 24, 2013.
List of 2011 concerts
Date (2011) City Country Venue
June 27 Manchester England Campfield Market Hall
June 30[A]
July 3[A]
July 7[A]
July 10[A]
July 13[A]
July 16[A]
September 11[B] Isle of Wight Robin Hill Park
October 12[C] Reykjavík Iceland Harpa
October 16[C]
October 19
October 22
October 25
October 28
October 31
November 3
November 7
List of 2012 concerts
Date (2012) City Country Venue
February 3 New York United States New York Hall of Science
February 6
February 12
February 15
February 18
February 22 Roseland Ballroom
February 25
February 28
March 2
March 5
March 21[D] Papantla Mexico Takilhsukut Park
March 24[E] Alajuela Costa Rica Autódromo La Guácima
March 31[F] Santiago Chile O'Higgins Park
April 6 Buenos Aires Argentina Centro de Exposiciones
April 9
April 12
April 15
June 15[G] Fes Morocco Bab Al Makina
June 22 Santiago de Compostela Spain City of Culture of Galicia
June 27[H] Nîmes France Arena of Nîmes
June 30[I] Lyon Ancient Theatre of Fourvière
July 4[J] Gdynia Poland Babie Doły Airport
July 8[K] Roskilde Denmark Festivalpladsen
August 5[L] Stockholm Sweden Skeppsholmen
August 9[M] Oslo Norway Middelalderparken
August 12[N] Helsinki Finland Suvilahti
August 16[O] Kiewit Belgium Kempische Steenweg
List of 2013 concerts
Date (2013) City Country Venue
February 21 Paris France Le Cirque en Chantier
February 24
February 27
March 2
March 5 Zénith de Paris
March 8
March 11[P] Crans-Montana Switzerland Le Régent
May 22 Richmond United States Craneway Pavilion
May 25
May 28
June 2 Los Angeles Hollywood Palladium
June 5
June 8
June 11 Hollywood Bowl
June 15[Q] Manchester Great Stage Park
July 13[R] Ottawa Canada LeBreton Flats
July 16 Toronto Echo Beach
July 19[S] Chicago United States Union Park
July 27[T] Yuzawa Japan Naeba Ski Resort
July 31 Tokyo Miraikan
August 3
August 6
August 10[U] Taipei Taiwan TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall
August 31[V] Stradbally Ireland Stradbally Hall
September 3 London England Alexandra Palace
September 7[W] Berlin Germany Berlin Tempelhof Airport

Festivals performances

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Cancellations and rescheduled shows

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February 9, 2012 New York, United States New York Hall of Science Postponed for health issues. Rescheduled for 5 March 2012 and moved to Roseland Ballroom[15][61]
April 18, 2012 Buenos Aires, Argentina Centro de Exposiciones Canceled for vocal issues.[17]
April 21, 2012 Buenos Aires, Argentina Estadio G.E.B.A. Canceled for vocal issues.[17]
May 11, 2012 São Paulo, Brazil Sónar Festival Canceled for vocal issues.[62]
June 2, 2012 Barcelona, Spain San Miguel Primavera Sound Canceled for vocal issues.[63]
June 9, 2012 Porto, Portugal Optimus Primavera Sound Canceled for vocal issues.[63]
July 12, 2012 Zamárdi, Hungary Balaton Sound Canceled for vocal issues.[63]
July 14, 2012 Ostrava, Czech Republic Colours of Ostrava Canceled for vocal issues.[63]
July 21, 2012 Moscow, Russia Afisha Picnic Canceled for vocal issues.[63]

Awards and nominations

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See also: List of awards and nominations received by Björk

Icelandic Music Awards

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Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2011 Biophilia Tour live at Harpa Musical Event of the Year Won [64]

Lunas del Auditorio

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Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2012 Biophilia Tour live at Cumbre Tajín Alternative Performance Nominated [65]

References

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  1. ^ Dombal, Ryan (3 December 2010). "Björk Talks About Icelandic Energy Controversy". Pitchfork. Ryan Schreiber. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  2. ^ Helgason, Stigur (January 2011). "Á Íslandi er náttúran pönk". Fréttablaðið. 365 prentmiðlar.
  3. ^ Dombal, Ryan (29 June 2011). "INTERVIEWS: Björk". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  4. ^ "BJÖRK UNVEILS LIVE RESIDENCY". Dazed & Confused. Waddell Limited. 17 March 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  5. ^ "Bjork, Damon Albarn, Snoop Dogg for Manchester International Festival". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  6. ^ a b "Björk Unveils "Biophilia": Lead Single "Crystalline" Available Now, Apps to Come". Nonesuch Records. 29 June 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  7. ^ "biophilia world premiere in manchester". bjork.com. 4 May 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  8. ^ "additional mif preview show added". bjork.com. 26 May 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  9. ^ Macaulay, Jo (7 July 2011). "Bjork to Top the Bill at Bestival!". Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Björk to Bring "Biophilia" to Reykjavik for Iceland Airwaves in October". Nonesuch. 8 July 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  11. ^ "two more biophilia shows added in reykjavík". bjork.com. 22 July 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  12. ^ "Un concert de plus à Reykjavík". bjork.fr. 8 September 2011. Archived from the original on 16 May 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  13. ^ "Win Tickets to See Björk's "Biophilia" Tour in Iceland! Nine-Show Reykjavik Residency Begins at Iceland Airwaves Festival". Nonesuch. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  14. ^ "Björk Brings Biophilia Live Show, Education Series to NYC in Partnership with The Creators Project and New York Hall of Science". Nonesuch. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  15. ^ a b "tonight's show in new york is cancelled". Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  16. ^ "buenos aires residency dates announced !". bjork.com. 6 March 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  17. ^ a b c Murray, Robin (April 18, 2012). "Bjork Cancels Argentinian Shows". Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  18. ^ "Bjork's Surgery: Singer Underwent Procedure To Remove Vocal Cord Polyp". Huffington Post. 24 November 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  19. ^ "dear friends". bjork.com. 21 November 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  20. ^ Battan, Carrie (27 November 2012). "Björk Announces Paris Biophilia Residency". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  21. ^ "Björk: Biophilia App for Android and Windows 8 (Canceled)". Kickstarter. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  22. ^ "Björk Brings "Biophilia" Live Show Back to North America with Performances, Educational Workshops in San Francisco, Los Angeles". Nonesuch. 1 April 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  23. ^ "more tickets on sale". bjork.com. 8 April 2013. Archived from the original on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  24. ^ "more tickets on sale". bjork.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  25. ^ "Bjork『Biophilia Tokyo』". Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  26. ^ "come back here tomorrow for exciting news on the next biophilia announcement..." Facebook. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  27. ^ Murray, Robin (11 June 2013). "Bjork Announces London Show". Clash. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  28. ^ "Björk announces oneBjörk announces one-off London gig on September 3 - ticket details". NME. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  29. ^ "Björk's Biophilia Live Show". Archived from the original on January 9, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  30. ^ "Biophilia shows Manchester booklet" (PDF). Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  31. ^ "List of Biophilia shows". Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  32. ^ "Björk "Biophilia" App Now Available on App Store; Album, Out September 27, Now Available for Pre-Order in Nonesuch Store". Nonesuch. 19 July 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  33. ^ "Björk: Biophilia - The Ultimate Edition". One Little Indian. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  34. ^ "the bonus disc that comes with the manual edition of biophilia will be..." Facebook. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  35. ^ "BIOPHILIA the manual". bjork.com. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  36. ^ "biophilia: new release date announcement". Facebook. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  37. ^ "Björk Biophilia". Manchester International Festival. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  38. ^ "Björk - Manchester - BBC". Youtube. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  39. ^ "Exclusive live video of Björk's Thunderbolt". Spotify. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  40. ^ Michaels, Sean (August 2, 2012). "Björk and David Attenborough team up for music documentary". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  41. ^ a b "Bjork and David Attenborough team up for music documentary". NME. August 1, 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  42. ^ "When Bjork Met Attenborough". Channel 4. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  43. ^ "björk/attenborough dvd now available for pre-order". bjork.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  44. ^ Reed, Ryan (March 26, 2014). "'When Bjork Met Attenborough' Set for May DVD Release". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  45. ^ Pelly, Jenn (August 13, 2012). "Björk Dedicates Song to Pussy Riot in Finland". Pitchfork. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  46. ^ "Concert BJÖRK à Paris". City Zens. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  47. ^ "we have arrived in san francisco..." Facebook. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  48. ^ "björk's biophilia - craneway, san francisco - video diary part 1". Youtube. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  49. ^ "björk's biophilia - craneway, san francisco - video diary part 2". Youtube. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  50. ^ "björk's biophilia - craneway, san francisco - video diary part 3". Youtube. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  51. ^ "bjork on Instagram". Instagram. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  52. ^ Vincent, Alice (September 4, 2013). "Björk, Alexandra Palace, review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  53. ^ Clarke, Betty (September 4, 2013). "Björk – review Alexandra Palace, London". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  54. ^ "Tribeca: Docs on James Brown and Bjork Added to Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. March 26, 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  55. ^ "TFF 2014 ADDS 2 MORE MUSIC DOCS TO OUR LINEUP". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  56. ^ "my longtime friend and collaborator, leila arab will be opening for me at my le zenith show tonight and on friday". Facebook. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  57. ^ "these new puritans confirmed as support". bjork.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  58. ^ Young, Alex (20 May 2013). "Death Grips announce summer tour, opening for Björk". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  59. ^ a b "Björk at Echo Beach (Toronto) on 16 Jul 2013". last.fm. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  60. ^ Delago, Manu. "had a wicked last bay area show with Björk and special guest Mike Patton ..." Facebook. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  61. ^ "Björk Extends NYC "Biophilia" Residency with Additional Show at Roseland". 13 February 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  62. ^ "Bjork's cancellation statement". Retrieved 18 May 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  63. ^ a b c d e "some festival cancellations." Archived from the original on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  64. ^ "Íslensku Tónlistarverðlaunin – Fyrri verðlaunahafar". Íslensku Tónlistarverðlaunin. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  65. ^ "ESTOS SON LOS NOMINADOS A LAS LUNAS DEL AUDITORIO 2012". Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
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