The Ateneo Musical Schola Cantorum de la Vall d’Uixó was founded in 1955. It began life as a male choir in the parish of the Asunción and shortly afterwards the Orquesta and Cuadro Artístico were also created, which specialized in staging zarzuelas.

In 1963 the Wind Band was founded with thirty musicians and directed by Miguel Arnau Abad. Today the Banda Sinfónica has more than 240 federated musicians. Over the course of its history the Band has participated in 32 different contests: it won First Prize and Honorable Mention at the Certamen Provincial in all of the ten editions it took part, an achievement which positioned Schola Cantorum as a musical benchmark in the province of Castellón. At the Certamen de Bandas de Música de la Comunidad Valenciana, the Band has won five First Prizes out of the seven times it has taken part.

The close relationship between the Band and the Certamen Internacional de València has become a fundamental part of the musical development of the ensemble because we are the Band from Castellón which has taken part in the contest the most times. In 1965 we won First Prize in Division Two. In 1966 we won First Prize in Division One, and in 1969, 1978 and 1986 we competed in the Special Division. In 1997 we won First Prize in Division One. Later, in 2004, we participated in the Honorary Division and won First Prize and when we returned to this division in 2006 we won Third Prize.

In recent years, directed by Rafael Grau Vilar, the Banda Sinfónica has won First Prize and Honorable Mention at the Certamen Provincial de Castellón in 2022, and won First Prize and Honorable Mention at the Certamen de Bandas de la Comunidad Valenciana in 2023.

Rafael Grau Vilar, principal conductor of the Ateneo Musical Schola Cantorum de la Vall d'Uixó, began studying music at the Sociedad Musical La Lira Castellonera de Castellón (La Ribera, Valencia).

He began his professional career as a wind band conductor with the Agrupación Musical Enovense. He went on to be principal conductor of the Sociedad Musical La Llosa de Ranes and, together with the Fundación Sanganxa, he conducted internationally renowned figures in the music world.

He won First Prize and Honorable Mention at the 43rd Certamen Provincial de Bandas de Música de Castellón with the Ateneo Musical Schola Cantorum, as well as the Best Performance Prize of the free-choice piece across all the contest divisions, with El Jardín de Hera by José Suñer. With the Schola Cantorum he also won First Prize and Honorable Mention in Division One of the 42nd Certamen de Bandes de la Comunidad Valenciana, as well as the content’s Best Conductor Prize.

He led the Banda Municipal de Badajoz as a guest conductor as a result of winning the Best Conductor Prize at the 8th Curso de Dirección de Banda Ciudad de Badajoz. He went on to win the Music Prize at the Premios Ciudad de Badajoz 2020.

He has a degree in Orchestra and Choir Conducting from the Conservatorio Superior de Música de València, a degree in Composition from the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Alicante and a degree in Trumpet from the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Castellón. He also has a master’s degree in Music Composition with New Technologies from the Universidad Internacional de la Rioja and a master’s in Orchestra Conducting from the ESMAR.

In 2023 he was principal conductor of the Joven Banda de la Federación de Sociedades Musicales de la Comunidad Valenciana.