The “Canta Laredo” Choir has presented a donation of €1,043.60 to Cohorte Cantabria, a research project led by the Health Research Institute (IDIVAL). The handover ceremony was attended by Galo Peralta, director of IDIVAL, and on behalf of the choir, its president Juan Pérez, treasurer Montserrat Arce, and board member Agustín Portillo.
According to Juan Pérez, the initiative was born “within the choir’s own Board of Directors, in that ideas lab we hold at the end of each year, where we plan both the artistic side and the social action component of the choir. It was during that meeting that one of the members proposed collaborating with Cohorte Cantabria. From there, we made contact and organized a talk with Dr. Marcos López Hoyos, who was then the director of Cohorte Cantabria. He explained the project to us and provided informational materials,” he added.
Throughout the year, the choir set up an information table at each concert with a donation box, posters, and leaflets, inviting the audience to contribute financially or to join the project as volunteers. “For all of us, it has been a source of pride because it strengthened our commitment to social engagement, the promotion of health, and scientific research through culture and music. It has also shown us that we are capable of mobilizing people and getting involved in a cause born in Cantabria that opens a world of hope in the medical field. The public’s response has been very positive,” the choir’s president highlighted.
For his part, Galo Peralta, director of IDIVAL, expressed his deep gratitude to the “Canta Laredo” Choir, emphasizing that “music and singing not only enrich us culturally but also have a direct impact on health—both for those who sing and those who listen.” He added that this generous gesture “not only provides valuable resources for research but also helps raise awareness of the Cohorte Cantabria project and strengthens the connection between science and Cantabrian society.”
About Cohorte Cantabria
Cohorte Cantabria is a project promoted by the Health Research Institute IDIVAL, the Cantabrian Health Service, and the University of Cantabria. Its goal is to create a large biomedical database containing genetic, clinical, and environmental information from thousands of volunteers across the region. The project has recently reached its goal of 50,000 volunteers, establishing itself as one of the most ambitious population studies in Spain. Its aim is to improve the understanding of diseases and move toward more personalized, preventive, and effective medicine.
