The Sociedad Unión Musical y Artística de Sax was created in 1929 from the merger of the two existing bands in Sax, the Primitiva and the Moderna, and its first conductor was Dionisio Méndez. The Sociedad has had different conductors throughout its history, including Regino Navajas, Miguel Villar, José Luis Casielles Camblor and Pedro Lara Navarrete, and has won countless prizes at the contests it has taken part in.

It is worth highlighting the considerable work and transformation for the Sociedad which came with the arrival of Roberto Trinidad Ramón, who was the principal conductor for 26 years and built the foundations of what is today a magnificent wind band.

The Sociedad won its most important prizes at the Certamen Internacional de Valencia, where it won First Prizes in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1997. In 1997 it also received a special commendation as the best band from the Autonomous Region of Valencia. The same year it also won First Prize at the Certamen Nacional de Campo de Criptana. One of the founding members of the FSMCV, it has also won two “Euterpe” prizes from the FSMCV.

Since 2017, the Sociedad’s principal conductor has been a Sax native, José Antonio Antolín Polo, with whom the Sociedad won First Prize and Honorable Mention in the Certamen Provincial de Bandas de la Diputación de Alicante in Division One in 2021, obtaining the maximum number of points in all the categories.

Currently the Sociedad has 152 musicians, with more than 30 professionals who work in orchestras, wind bands and conservatories all over Spain. Its music school has 200 students, is recognized as an education center by the Generalitat Valenciana and is part of the FSMCV network of music schools.

José Antonio Antolín Polo was born in Sax. He began studying music theory and horn at the Academia de la Unión Musical before going on to the Conservatorio Elemental de Música de Elda where he was taught by Rafael Segura. He continued his studies at the Conservatorio Superior de Música “Oscar Esplá” de Alicante with Roberto Trinidad, where he completed his degree and won the Extraordinary End of Degree Prize.

In 1992 he won a horn seat in la Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla. From 1993 to September 2002 he was a member of the orchestra, forming part of the brass section and the ensemble’s wind octet.

In 2002 he gained, through public examination, a permanent post as a horn teacher in the Valencia Region. From 2004 to 2015 he taught horn at the Conservatorio Superior de Música “Oscar Esplá” de Alicante.

He currently teaches horn at the Conservatorio Profesional de Música “Ana María Sánchez “de Elda (Alicante).

He was the director of the school and wind band of the Sociedad Unión Musical Algueñense from 2006 to 2015. He is currently the director of the Sociedad Musical La Esperanza de San Vicente del Raspeig and the Banda de Música de la Sociedad Unión Musical y Artística de Sax (Alicante). As the director of these three ensembles he has taken part in different contests and won the following prizes: 8 First Prizes with Commendations, 2 First Prizes, 2 Second Prizes and 2 Third Prizes.