INSTITUTIONAL GREETINGS
Unió Musical de Torrent HISTORY OF THE BAND The UNIÓ MUSICAL OF TORRENT" wind band is a young ensemble. It was founded in February 1973 through the merger of the hundred-year-old wind band "PATRONATO DE JUVENTUD OBRERA" and the Asociación Musical "LA CLASICA" of Torrent. Mariano Puig Yaho was the band's founder and first conductor. After his passing, in October 1979 Enrique Andreu Romero took over as conductor. In September 1981, Francisco Idilio Gimeno Martínez was contracted to direct the group. In October 1996 he was succeeded by Manuel Enguídanos Cotanda. After his death, in March 2011 the baton was passed to the current Artistic Director: José María Ortí Soriano. Their annual Music Weeks, organized by the Association to celebrate the festival of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music, are already famous; the best contemporary performers and chamber ensembles in Spain have taken part in them. Today the Association has a children's band, youth band, children's orchestra, symphony orchestra, youth choir, polyphonic choir, a saxophone quartet, clarinet quintet, brass ensemble and a percussion ensemble which have all given numerous performances. The Association's interest in music and teaching led them to start a summer school, a pioneering activity in Spain, called the "Mariano Puig" International Advanced Course in New Performance Techniques, which is now in its 32nd edition. Since 1991 the band has taken part in the International Wind Band Contest "City of Valencia" several times in the Honorary Division, winning six first prizes. BIOGRAPHY OF THE CONDUCTOR José María Orti SorianoJosé María Orti Soriano was born in Torrent (Valencia). He has degrees from the Superior Conservatories of Valencia and Madrid where he also received Honorary End-of-Degree Prizes.At 18 years of age he was a member of the Madrid Municipal Band and he later joined the Wind Band of the Head-of-State. He has been invited to perform with many orchestras from all over the world, completing tours of Europe, America and Japan. He holds the "Fine Arts Gold Medal" and the "Cruz de Caballero de la Orden al Mérito Civil" awarded by His Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain. He is a trumpet soloist with the Spanish National Orchestra and a Professor of the Madrid Royal Superior Conservatory of Music and, at a later date, of the Valencia "Joaquín Rodrigo" Superior Conservatory of Music. He is an Honorary Citizen of the town of Torrent, which has also awarded him the town's "Gold Medal". He was commissioned by Torrent Council to compose the town's anthem. He is a member of the M.I. Academia de la Música Valenciana. He is regularly invited to teach the JORVAL and many Spanish and European youth orchestras. During his 40 years as a soloist in the Spanish National Orchestra he has played with the best conductors in the world and has completed courses with several of them, including Rafael Frühbeck, Jesús López Cobos and Sergio Chelividaque. He has conducted the following wind bands: Unión Musical of Liria, Santa Cecilia of Cullera, C.I.M. la Armónica of Buñol, Ateneo Musical Schola Cantorum of la Vall d'Uixó, and he is an honorary conductor of the Banda Santa María Magdalena of Novelda. In November 2012, in the headquarters of the Ateneo Mercantil de Valencia, he was named "Insigne de la Música Valenciana 2012" [Valencian Music Personality 2012] by the M.I Academia de la Música Valenciana. He is currently the Artistic Director of the Unió Musical of Torrent. |
