In 1989, five Spanish musicians created an eclectic and innovative music project which has continued to develop over the year in diverse fields: performance, education and musical creation. They currently carry out tours all over the world, give chamber music courses and record CDs.

In 1996 they won First Prize in the 6th International Brass Quintet Competition "Ville de Narbonne" (France), considered to be the most prestigious prize for this type of group. Particularly worthy of note is their participation in the Prince of Asturias Awards Presentation Gala in 1995, in the Campoamor Theater in Oviedo (Spain), which was broadcast on television to more than 700 million people.

Their repertoire is one of the aspects of their performances to which they give the most attention, together with the staging. Their shows include: 'Concierto del Desconcierto' (brass quintet), 'Metàl.lics' (educational concert), 'Brassiana' (with a jazz trio), 'Make a Brass noise here' (tribute to F. Zappa, with drums and guitar) and 'Relatos imprevistos' (for brass quintet and narrator, with Fernando Palacios). They collaborate regularly with artists of international prestige such as Christian Lindberg, Ole E. Antonsen and Kenny Wheeler, and with other groups such as Amores Percussion Group or the Valencia Navarro Reverter Choir. Spanish Brass Luur Metalls also develop and create new music, working with both renowned composers and young people of great promise. They have premiered almost a hundred works, which have mostly been written especially for the group by composers such as José Luís Turina, Jesús Villa-Rojo, Maurice Jarre, Vladimir Cosma, Fernando Palacios, Juanjo Colomer, Antón García Abril and Vicente Roncero.

Spanish Brass Luur Metalls perform concert works with orchestras, including the European premiere of 'Concerto for Brass Quintet and String Orchestra' by Karel Husa; and have performed the premiere of 'Couleurs du Temps' by the prestigious composer, Maurice Jarre, and 'La Devota Lasciva' by Juanjo Colomer. They have performed these works with various orchestras such as: the Cordoba Orchestra, the Radio Televisión Española Orchestra, the Castile and León Symphony Orchestra, the City of Granada Orchestra, La Picardie Orchestra (France), the Autonomous Region of Valencia Youth Orchestra, the Region of Murcia Orchestra, the KBS Symphony Orchestra of Korea and the Valencia Orchestra. They have worked with conductors such as Edmon Colomer, Alejandro Posada, Josep Pons, Manuel Galduf, Salvador Brotons, Enrique G. Asensio, Shinik Hahm and Yaron Traub.

They have recently premiered 'Concerto for Brass Quintet and Orchestra' by Lluís Vidal with the Spanish National Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Josep Pons, and they have confirmed engagements to perform with the Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra and the City of Granada Orchestra, among others, and with conductors such as Pablo González.

They have released fifteen CDs, including a DVD-CD and a double compilation CD, which demonstrate their many facets: 'Luur-Metalls Spanish Brass Quintet', 'No Comment', 'La Escalera de Jacob', 'SPANISH BRASS Luur Metalls & Friends', 'Delicatessen', 'Caminos de España', 'Absolute' with Christian Lindberg and Ole E. Antonsen, 'Gaudí'um', 'Metàl.lics', 'Retaule de Nadal' with the Valencia Navarro Reverter Choir, 'SBALZ Brass Ensemble', 'Brass & Wines' with Steven Mead, 'Brassiana' with Lluis Vidal Trío, 'The Best of Spanish Brass' and 'SBLM'. They recorded the music for the play 'La Fundación' by Buero Vallejo for the National Drama Center and the sound track for the film 'Descongélate' by Félix Sabroso for the production company, El Deseo.

Spanish Brass Luur Metalls has taken part in important events such as: the Radio-France Music Festival (France), the Granada International Festival of Music and Dance (Spain), the Bonner Herbst Festival (Germany), the "Music in Old Krakow" Festival (Poland), the New York Brass Conference (USA), the Santander International Music Festival (Spain), the Lucerne Festival (Switzerland), the Great American Brass Band Festival (USA), the Alicante International Contemporary Music Festival (Spain), the Jeju Summer Festival (Korea), the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival (Germany), the Madrid National Auditorium Festival (Spain), the Barcelona Palau de la Música Festival (Spain), the San Sebastian Musical Fortnight (Spain); the Wartburg Festival in Eisenach (Germany), the Kalavrita Festival (Greece), the Merano Brass Festival and Trent Philharmonic (Italy), the Barcelona Auditorium Festival (Spain), the Brasilia Winter Festival (Brazil), the Puerto Rico International Arts Festival, the International Trumpet Guild Conference (USA), the International Trombone Association Festival (USA), the Basilica Festival (Belgium) and Lieksa Brass Week (Finland).

Parallel to their concert activity, SBLM organize two international festivals dedicated to brass instruments: the Spanish Brassurround Torrent (www.brassurround.com) and the Alzira Spanish Brass Festival (www. sbalz.com), where highly prestigious international brass soloists, groups and teachers come together every year.

Spanish Brass Luur Metalls is sponsored by the STOMVI instrument brand; since 2003 they have had the support of the Valencian Musical Institute and are currently also supported by INAEM.

MEMBERS

Carlos Benetó Grau.- Trumpet
Juanjo Serna Salvador.- Trumpet
Manuel Pérez Ortega.- Horn
Indalecio Bonet Manrique.- Trombone
Sergio Finca Quirós.- Tuba

For more information, visit www.spanishbrass.com