Sociedad Musical "La Artística" de Buñol (Valencia)

"La Artística" Symphonic Band in Buñol was founded over a century ago and has performed almost everywhere in Spain, as well as in other European countries.

The seven prizes awarded to it in Special Section A of the Certamen de Valencia contest are particularly noteworthy among its many prizes. It is also worth highlighting that in 1993 it won the following prizes in the space of one month in three separate contests:

· First prize at Requena National Contest and "Ramón Mari Pino" Extraordinary Prize

· First prize and Honorable Mention at Ciudad de Valencia International Contest

· First prize at Kerkrade World Music Olympics (Netherlands)

In the year 2000 it took part in the 29th Vila d'Altea International Music Band Contest, and was awarded the first prize and an Honorable Mention. It was in 2001, its 50th anniversary, that the band was awarded all of the following prizes at Kerkrade World Music Olympics:

· First prize Diploma

· Golden Drum

· World Champion Flag

· Flag to the highest scoring foreign band in the history of the Music Contest.

Its conductors of honour have included: Enrique García Asensio, José Collado, Luis A. García Navarro, Pierre Kuijpers, Rafael Taléns and Alfred Reed.

Guest conductors have included José Cervera Lloret, José Ferríz, Vicente Más Quiles, Bernardo Adam Ferrero, Johan de Meij, Francisco Grau, Amando Blanquer, Norbert Nozy, Heinz Friesen, Pablo Sánchez Torrella and Rafael Martínez Lloréns.

To date, it has recorded 18 CDs with the works of important composers. In July 2001 it was awarded a Gold Record by World Wind Music for selling over 20,000 Band music CDs.

In February 2004, the Symphonic Band recorded the DVD and CD "Marchas Moras y Cristianas de todo un siglo" ("Moorish and Christian Marches from Over a Century"). In July of that same year, it was awarded the Euterpe prize to the best Valencian music recording by the Valencian Federation of Music Societies, for its CD "La Passió de Crist" ("The Passion of Christ"). In September it represented Valencian and Spanish Band Music at the Lucerne Festival (Switzerland).

Henrie Adams

He was born in Thorn (Netherlands) and studied oboe and conducting at Maastricht Conservatory of Music.

He has attended orchestra conducting workshops taught by Pierre Dervaux and Enrique García Asensio. As regular conductor, he has conducted the Maastricht "Sinfonietta" Chamber Orchestra and the "L'Union" (Heythuysen ) and "Eendracht" (Meyel) Symphonic Bands, as well as Valencia Autonomous Region Youth Orchestra (1992-1999).

As guest conductor:

· The "Royal" Symphonic Band (The Hague)

· The "les Guides" Symphonic Band (Brussels)

· The Internationale Blasorchesterwoche (St. Moritz, Switzerland)

· Madrid Municipal Symphonic Band

· The Portland Festival Orchestra (USA)

· Limburg Symphonic Orchestra

· Valencia Orchestra

· Extremadura and Bilbao Symphonic Orchestras

He has been the regular conductor of the "la Artística" Music Society Orchestra and Symphonic Band in Buñol since 1989.

As conductor of "La Artística" Symphonic Band, he has recorded a CD with Dutch record company World Wind Music:

· Zarzuela Dances Intermezzos and Preludes

· American composer Alfred Reed's Symphonies 2, 3 and 4

· Dutch composer Johan de Meij's symphonies 1 and 2 (The Lord of the Rings and The Big Apple)

· Paso dobles and Valencian paso dobles, Salute from Spain, Spanish Winds 1 and 2

· The instrumental music from Richard Wagner's Ring der Nibelungen tetralogy, Famous Overtures

· W.A. Mozart's Horn Concertos with Valencian horn player Vicente Zarzo

· The musical portraits of two famous Valencian composers: Portrait of Amando Blanquer and Portrait of Miguel Asins Arbo

· La Artística Live

· Ferrer Ferran's "La passió de Christ" ("The Passion of Christ")

· Andrés Valero Castells' "Myrtle Valley" ("Vall de Murta"), and "Marchas Moras y Cristianas de todo un siglo" (by miscellaneous composers) on DVD and CD.

In July 2001 he won the "world champion" title at Kerkrade WMC Festival (the Netherlands) as conductor of this band, which was awarded the highest score in the concert section.