Asociación Músico - Cultural "Nuestra Señora de la Paz" de Marmolejo

HISTORY OF THE BAND

The origins of this wind band can be traced back to the middle of the nineteenth century. It enjoyed its first great success in 1904 when it won first prize in the Provincial Wind Band Contest, celebrated in Jaén. Ever since, the Band has been led by renowned, talented musical directors, who have influenced its development, including Juan Amador, Francisco Miñana, Francisco Serrano, and its current director, Javier Miranda Medina.

In 1988, the Municipal Music School was founded. At this time the Band has 14 members. As a consequence of its financial dependence on the Town Council, the Band was called the Marmolejo Municipal Wind Band until 2002, when it became the "Ntra. Sra. de la Paz" Music Association of Marmolejo, named in honor of the local patron saint.

Among its many performances, particularly worthy of note are the concerts the Band gave in honor of Maestro Francisco Serrano. Every year it takes part in the "Villa de Marmolejo" National Wind Band Summit with different bands from all over Spain. It has recorded two CDs on the IBS label (Serie Classical y Folclore): "Pasión Andaluza" and "Camino del Cielo". It performed the world premieres of the "Suite de los Manantiales" and "Misa Sinfónica" for choir and wind band (Misa Mozárabe), a work commissioned from the Valencian composer, Ferrer Ferrán.

Today, the Wind Band of the Asociación Músico-Cultural "Nuestra Señora de la Paz" of Marmolejo (Jaén) has 70 members and its Music School has over 150 students. Javier Miranda Medina has been its Principal Conductor and Artistic Director since 2010.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE CONDUCTOR

Javier Miranda Medina

Javier Miranda was born in Malaga. He has a doctorate in Musical Phenomenology from the University of Malaga, a degree in Music Direction from the Royal School of Music, and obtained his advanced teaching qualifications from the Malaga Superior Conservatory of Music. He is also a member of the Madrid Academy of Music and Scenic Arts.

He studied orchestra conducting with Maestro Enrique García Asensio and was taught musical phenomenology and musical direction by great maestros such as Benjamín Zander, Krysztof Penderecki, George Pehlivanian, Konrad von Abel, Marin Alsop, Paul Goodwin, Jesús López Cobos, Carlos Riazuelo, Peter Stark, and Manuel Hernández Silva.

He has published three books with Si Bemol, Rivera Editores and Punto Rojo Libros; and released five CDs with the record labels, IBS Classical and Fonoruz.

He has organized and been a speaker at conferences and training courses. He has also been invited to teach at various Spanish conservatories, and overseas universities such as Emory University and Georgia State University in the USA. He is a musical phenomenology researcher, a field in which he has studied Sergiu Celibidache's philosophy and contribution to orchestra conducting and musical interpretation.

He was Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Hispanian Symphony Orchestra (HSO) from its foundation until January 2015, and has conducted numerous orchestras and bands both in Spain and abroad.

He is currently Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Banda de Música de la Asociación Músico-Cultural "Ntra. Sra. de la Paz" of Marmolejo (Jaén). He is also a member of the "Asociación de Intérpretes y Ejecutantes" (AIE), the "World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles" (WASBE), the "Euphonium Foundation Consortium Commission Project" and, since 2010, the "Académico de las Artes y las Ciencias de la Música" of Madrid.