The Band was founded in Villena on 19th May 1993, with the aim of encouraging culture through the advancement, teaching and dissemination of music and, more specifically, of Band music, a discipline to which many generations have devoted their love, their leisure time and their interests, and which is rooted in Valencia Autonomous Region's deepest popular culture. The band was named after exceptional local musician Ruperto Chapí.

Large amounts of love and hope went into founding the Society. Since Villena already had a band, the Municipal Band (which, as its name suggests, is backed by Villena Town Council), For this reason, the twenty or so founding musicians started the band in the knowledge that it would be no bed of roses. We created the corporate structure required to operate with our own legal personality in accordance with our by-laws and the current legislation, without any help or subsidies. These twelve years of work and devotion have yielded good results. We have taken part in contests and television programmes and recorded several CDs. Although we play in several concerts every year, in honour of Ruperto Chapí, Santa Cecilia and others, one particular concert is especially rewarding: the concert for people and/or entities in need, which has been held every 14th August, without exception, since 1993.

The current number of active members includes approximately 65 musicians, comprised of a combination of experience and new blood from our music school. The school, which was founded in 1994, employs ten teachers, who teach Singing and Music Theory, Brass Wind, Woodwind and Percussion to over one hundred pupils. It gradually became necessary to build a new head office for our society. This was built in 1999 (in calle Gelela, 16) with an investment of over € 200,000. The project was made possible by the great effort of our members and musicians, who took out loans for this purpose.

Damián Molina

He was born in Bocairent, where he began studying Singing and Music Theory and Clarinet at the age of seven. He followed this up in Ontinyent, Carcaixent, Valencia, Zaragoza and Alicante Conservatories of Music, and completed his higher music studies in the last of these institutions. From 1985, he attended international courses and conferences on Education, Clarinet, and Band, Orchestra and Choir Conducting, under teachers of international renown. His conducting and composing career began at the age of 15 when he debuted as choir conductor. His compositions include festive, choir and organ music as well as works for small instrumental groups.

The many prizes awarded for his compositions include the second prize in Boicarent (1999), three second prizes at Callosa d'En Sarria (2000, 2001 and 2004), first prize at Muro de l'Alcoi (2001) and first prize at Callosa d'En Sarrià (2004). He was deputy director and regular conductor of the Cheste Educational Complex Instrument Group (Conjunto Instrumental del Complejo Educativo de Cheste) from 1987 to 1990. He has been deputy director of Bocairent Music Union Association since 1995. He has also conducted the Salem Lira Music association, and has been the regular conductor of the Ruperto Chapí Music Society in Villena since November 1998. As guest conductor, he has conducted various bands from nearby regions. He has also conducted in many different towns and cities in Catalonia and Valencia Autonomous Region with Bocairent Music Union Association. He combines this task with teaching Secondary School pupils in Ontinyent's Santa María School, and also conducts the Bocairent Choir Group (Agrupació Coral Bocairent).