GLÒRIA TELLO COMPANY

For another year Valencia becomes an indisputable international reference point for wind band music as the 131st edition of the International Wind Band Contest "City of Valencia" brings together more than 1,800 enthusiastic musicians, some to take part and others to compete and, above all, to demonstrate the hard work and dedication they have put into their preparations over the past year.

This edition is very special because we are also commemorating the 30th anniversary of Valencia's Palau de la Música and the Contest will join these celebrations. Without doubt, the Palau de la Música is the ideal place to host this magnificent music event, due to its acoustics, facilities, infrastructure and prestige, and also its security provisions, so necessary to guarantee the well-being of musicians and audiences.

The Organizing Committee has worked to assure the correct roll-out of all the organizational processes for this Contest, which features a marked international component with the participation of ensembles from Colombia, Holland, Germany and the USA, together with Spanish groups from Pontevedra, Murcia, the Balearic Islands and Jaén. These bands take part alongside a significant Valencian presence, the local wind bands who make us proud, are the standard bearers for this musical culture, define us as a people and whose members are present in so many generations of families in the towns of our region.

Last year's pre-contest concerts were very positively received, steeping the city in musical performances and forming a wonderful prologue to the Contest. This year new venues and ensembles have been added to the program so that more residents can enjoy the best wind band music.

Welcome to the best contest in the world. Good luck to all the bands taking part and competing, and may music be the ultimate winner.

Glòria Tello Company
President of the Palau de la Música.