The Centro Instructivo Musical La Armónica is a musical institution with a history going back 135 years. Currently it has almost 2000 members and a music school with over 170 students. Its Banda Sinfónica, with more than 300 federated musicians, includes approximately 100 professionals who work in various bands and conservatories in Spain. In addition to the Banda Sinfónica, La Armónica has an orchestra, youth band and polyphonic choir.

Known affectionately as "El Litro", the tradition of sharing a liter of wine at the end of rehearsals has given La Armónica its distinctive symbol. Throughout its history, the Band has been directed by a series of prestigious directors and has collaborated with renowned artists as conductors and soloists.

La Armónica’s fame has grown through its participation in festivals and concerts all over Spain and Europe. The Band has been invited to distinguished events such as the 63rd edition of the Midwest Clinic in Chicago in 2009, where it was the first Spanish band to ever take part.

La Armónica has won numerous prizes in national and international competitions, including the Certamen Internacional de Bandas de Música de Valencia and the Certamen Internacional de Bandas de Música Vila d’Altea, as well as at the World Music Contest in Kerkrade, Holland where it was named overall world champion at the 9th World Olympiad in 1981 and overall world champion runner-up at the 11th World Olympiad in 1989.

La Armónica has also made various recordings, reflecting their commitment to promoting wind band music via albums such as “Los Litros en directo” from the Palau de la Música de Valencia in 1997 and “Flor de Azahar” by the composer Gregory Fritze in 2016.

Saül Gómez Soler was born in Ontinyent (Valencia) in 1982. He is an Advanced Music Teacher and has a degree in Percussion and Composition from the Conservatorio Superior de Música Joaquín Rodrigo de Valencia. He also has a degree in Orchestra Conducting from the Conservatorio Superior de Música del Liceo de Barcelona.

He studied wind band conducting at the Instituto Superiore Europeo Bandístico, in Trento (Italy).

He is currently the director of the CIM La Armónica de Buñol and the Orquesta Sinfónica Caixa Ontinyent.

He has conducted internationally-renowned soloists such as Vasko Vasilev, Pacho Flores, José Franch Ballester, Spanish Brass, Steven Mead, Luís González, Roberto Turlo and Pablo Zinger, premiering works by the most prestigious Spanish composers.

During 2018 he was the principal conductor of the Joven Banda Sinfónica of the Federación de Sociedades Musicales de la Comunidad Valenciana (FSMCV).

His compositions are published by Molenaar.

Recently he has released two monographic CDs: recordings of his symphonic music entitled “Breath” and “Gioia”.

He was commissioned to compose: for the Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE, the obligatory piece for the Certamen Internacional de Valencia de 2015 and the Certamen Internacional de Altea 2021, chamber music for the RTVE orchestra, the obligatory piece for the Festival Internacional de Percusión Percute 2016 and other pieces for public bodies such as the Generalitat Valenciana, Ayuntamiento de Valencia, Ayuntamiento de Pamplona and the Ayuntamiento de Barcelona, as well as for prestigious soloists such as Jose Franch Ballester, José Cháfer, Javier Llopis, Mª José Montiel and Madrid Okho Duo.

His current focus is on composing symphonic music and music for the audiovisual sector. In this field he has received three nominations for the Hollywood Music in Media Awards and one for the Jerry Goldsmith Awards.