BANDA MUNICIPAL DE MÚSICA DE BILBAO

Director:
RAFAEL SANZ-ESPERT

Band profile

Impeccably dressed in blue uniforms with French-style military hats, the Bilbao municipal band gave its first performance on the 9 June 1895. Rumours said that the first band director, José Sainz Basabe, had obtained his job after pressure was applied by the Spanish royal family.
With the retirement of José Sainz Basabe in 1924, the post was occupied by José Franco Ribate. The arrival of General Franco's soldiers caused the band - then directed by Jesús Arambarri - to be dissolved until after the war. After re-starting the band in the early 1950's, Arambarri was offered a post in the Madrid municipal band and the Bilbao directorship was offered to Bruno Muñoz. He was succeeded in 1969 by Urbano Ruiz Laorden - who managed to avoid an internal crisis by persuading the city of Bilbao to contract and pay the band members. Urbano Ruiz died in 1995 and was followed as director by the then sub-director Jesús María Bilbao Estefanía.
The band celebrated its centenary in 1995 by recording a double CD that includes the works of José Franco Ribate and a selection of bull-fighting pasodobles. The band currently alternates a program of concerts with performances in schools and colleges.

Director profile

Rafael Sanz-Espert was born in Llombai (Valencia) and studied music in Rotterdam and Paris. He is a metaphysician and zen buddist. He teaches and frequently speaks at conferences.
He taught at the Castellon municipal band and the Maestro Vert conservatory in Castellon. He has guest-directed several orchestras, including the municipal bands of Madrid and Palma de Mallorca, the Banda Simfònica de la Federació Balear de Bandes de Música i Associacions Musicals, and the United States Army Orchestra.
In 1987 he was made honorary director of the Sociedad Unión Musical de Llombai. He has directed the bands of Xábia in Alicante, Rafelguaraf, Llombai, Cieza in Murcia, the Unión Musical de Sueca (first prize and honorable mention in the 1987 Valencia International Music Bands Contest), Alberic, the Unión Musical de Carlet and the Unió Musical de Lliria (first prize and honorable mention in the 1997 Valencia International Music Bands Contest).
He has taught classes and courses in orchestral directing and the application of mental techniques to music at the University of Berkeley and the head office of the Diario de Mallorca.
He is currently director of the 'La Filarmónica' of L'Alcúdia in Valencia (first prize in the special section of the Villa de Leganés competition in Madrid in 1998), and the 'Lira Carcaixentina' (first prize and special mention for the director in the special section of the Valencia International Music Bands Contest in 1996). In 2001, he led the Lira Carcaixentina to win first prize and an honorable mention in the honor section of the Valencia contest. He has been awarded the gold medal from the fine arts association. He teaches with the Valencia municipal band.