INSTITUTIONAL GREETINGS
Banda Municipal de Valencia HISTORY OF THE BAND In 1901, Valencia City Councilor, journalist and art critic, Vicente Ávalos Ruiz, proposed to Salvador Giner, who was considered to be the highest musical authority of the time, the creation of a Municipal Band under the direction of Santiago Lope. Maestro Lope conducted the Municipal Band in their first concert in the city's bullring on 8 December 1903 where, among other works, they performed 'L'Entrà de la Murta', composed by maestro Giner specifically for this occasion. Under Maestro Lope's leadership, the Valencian group achieved countless successes, including three first prizes at the Bilbao International Festival in 1905. Over the years the Municipal Band has had several principal conductors, including Maestros Lope, Vega, Ayllón, Seguí, Palanca, Ferríz, Garcés, Ribelles, Torrella, and its current conductor, Fernando Bonete. The Municipal Band gives numerous performances every year. Worthy of special mention are those in the Palau de la Música concert cycles, the June concerts held in the Palau's gardens, and those in outlying areas of the city, smaller towns in the Valencia Region and several European cities, in addition to their participation in official City Council events. On 5 December 2003, at the request of the Minister of Education, Culture and Sport, and following deliberation by the Council of Ministers, the Valencia Municipal Band received the "Corbata de la Orden Civil de Alfonso X El Sabio" decoration. It also holds the Medalla de Oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes [Fine Arts Gold Medal], the highest honor awarded by the Spanish State, and the Alta Distinción al Mérito Cultural [High Distinction for Cultural Merit] award from the Valencia Regional Government. Valencia City Council, in an extraordinary plenary session held on 28 June 2002, decided unanimously to "Grant the gold medal of our city to the Valencia Municipal Band, an example and inspiration for all bands in the Valencia Region, as well as an illustration of its traditional musical culture and popular opinion, on the occasion of the one-hundredth anniversary of its foundation." In 2005 the band completed a hugely successful tour of Japan, where they took part in the 2005 Japan Band Clinic and further increased their already considerable international prestige. BIOGRAPHY OF THE CONDUCTOR Fernando Bonete PiquerasFernando Bonete Piqueras studied music in the Conservatories of Albacete, Valencia and Madrid, obtaining degrees in Orchestra Direction, Choir Direction, Clarinet, Baroque Flute, Piano, Sol-fa and Music Theory, Transposition and Accompaniment, Harmony, Counterpoint, Composition and Orchestration. He is a pupil of the renowned maestro, Enrique García Asensio.He has won numerous important competitions: the 1995 Orchestra Conducting Contest of the University of Madrid; the 1992 Choir Conducting Contest of the Valencia "Joaquín Rodrigo" Conservatory; and he received an honorable mention in the highest category at the International Wind Band Contest "City of Valencia" in 1999. He has also won several national composition competitions: the 2004 "City of Orihuela"; the 2007 "Maestro Turrillas", organized by Pamplona Town Council; and the 2008 "Maestro Francisco García Muñoz", organized by Soria Town Council. He has recorded CDs for RTVE-Música, Radio 9, RNE-Radio Clásica and Nuestras Bandas de Música, among others labels. He has also written educational presentations and courses for the Spanish Ministry of Education and Culture. He teaches at the Valencia Music Academy and is a member of the AIE and SGAE. He has more than three hundred works to his name and many other phonograms and videograms. His instrumentations for bands, both lyric music and those for symphony repertoire are currently reference points for symphony bands. He has been invited to conduct the most important municipal bands in Spain, including those of Alicante, Almería, Barcelona, Bilbao, Castellón, La Coruña, Madrid, Melilla, Santiago de Compostela, Seville and Tenerife. He has been a jury member for the most renowned international and national composition and performance contests, such as those held in Valencia, Murcia, Pontevedra, Torrevieja and Villalgordo del Júcar. In his educational work, Fernando Bonete Piqueras has taught Harmony and Accompanied Melody at Zamara Province Conservatory of Music (a post obtained through public examinations). He is also a member of the Secondary Education Teacher Corps, specializing in Music, and the Music and Scenic Arts Teacher Corps, specializing in Choir and Orchestra (again gaining the posts through public examinations). He was the Director-Head of the Municipal Music Service and the Municipal Wind Band of Albacete City Council from 1999 to 2012, coming to the position through public examination. During his time in post he completed the professionalization of the band. He is currently the Principal Conductor of the Valencia City Municipal Band. |
