UNIÓ MUSICAL D'ALDAIA (Valencia)

Director:
JOSEP MIQUEL MARTÍNEZ GIMÉNEZ

Band profile

Like most towns in Valencia, Aldaia has a long musical tradition with the town boasting two bands - La Lira and La Nova - as far back as 1880. These two bands co-existed until the civil war when they joined forces as the Unión Musical La Lira.
The band adopted it current name in 1950 and has since then participated in numerous competitions in Valencia, Xativa, Buñol, Alcoi, Torrent, Catarroja, Cullera, and Alcázar de San Juan. Its best known directors have included: Carmelo Baixauli, Amando Blanquer, Arturo Montes, Roberto Sáez, Francisco Baixauli, José Bort, Ramón Herrero, Antonio Edo, Manuel Romero, Vicente Balaguer, Pascual Martínez, Joaquín Civera and Eduardo Carrascosa.
The band currently has 90 players - including various professionals who teach in nearby conservatories and play in various other civil and military bands. Josep Miquel Martínez Giménez has directed the band since January 2001, while the band's 40 strong youth section is directed Hugo Chinesta. The band also has a school with 17 teachers and 105 students.

Director profile

Josep Miquel Martínez Giménez was born in Quart de les Valls (Valencia) in 1972 and began his musical studies in his hometown. In 1994 he qualified as a trumpet teacher at the Joaquín Rodrigo conservatory in Valencia and then began studying piano, directing, and composition. He obtained a diploma in trumpet and musical theory from the London Royal School of Music.
He has also studied composition and directing with Jan Cober, José R. Pascual Vilaplana, Miquel Rodrigo Tamarit, Miguel Angel Mateu and Ferran Ferran.
As well as preparing many arrangements, he has written 18 pieces including 'Perla Fetera' (pasodoble), 'La llegada de Kagsasuk Np.16' (a symphonic poem), and 'Secret Horn' (solo trumpet and band). Some of these works have been published by Abmusica-Ediciones.
At just 16 he appeared for the first time as director-composer with the Societat Joventut Musical de Quart de les Valls. Since then he has appeared as invited director with such bands as the Asociación Cultural Allegro of Valencia, the Sociedad Musical Nuestra Señora del Loreto of Bejís, and the Unió Musical de Muro de Alcoi. He has also directed the orchestra of Segorbe conservatory in Castellón.
He also directs the Unió Musical Cultural of Estivella - with whom he won first prize in the 14th WMC in Kerkrade in Holland in 2001 - and the Unió Musical Lira Borriolenca from Borriol in Castellon. He has also been teaching horn at Segorbe professional conservatory since 1997.