Asociación Músico Cultural “La Lira” de Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid)
HISTORY OF THE BAND
The Band takes its name from the association that founded it, the La Lira Musical-Cultural Association of Pozuelo, and gave its first concert on 10 June 1990 under the direction of its first conductor, Emilio Martorell Cuenca. From its beginnings, its aim has been to instill in this group of young people the importance of working together. This has been the foundation of the Band’s activities, seen particularly in its musical education work and its principals of hard work, responsibility and respect.
The Association educates its young members in its music school, which has more than 300 pupils. The school trains its students so they can become members of its music groups (Saxophone group, Brass group, Youth Band, Orchestra and Symphonic Band), in addition to preparing them to go on to professional training and further study in a conservatory. The school selects its teachers from the best orchestras and bands in Madrid, allowing it to guarantee its pupils quality teaching in addition to the loan of instruments for their studies. This leads to great improvements in technique and a notable application of the important values of study and motivation on the part of the students. Numerous renowned teachers have taught at the school, including Roque Baños, Luis Morató, Miguel Espejo and Vicente Alberola, and directors have included Julián Calvo, Miguel Romea and Francisco Sevillá, among others. The current President of the Association is Juan Pedro Álvarez and the Artistic Director is Maximiliano Santos Ferrer.
In 2007, La Lira opened their new social center, a place to continue and develop their cultural project. With their new facilities the Association has reached a band membership of 120 musicians, making the Band the largest non-municipal band in the Autonomous Region of Madrid.
La Lira de Pozuelo is part of the Federation of Music Associations of the Autonomous Region of Madrid and takes part in numerous performances as a member of this organization.
Since its foundation, the band has given countless performances throughout Spain, performing diverse repertoires at festivals and music seasons. Its excellent reputation has led to its participation in important official functions such as Holy Week in Zamora, Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Madrid, and in events such as those organized by the Autonomous Region of Madrid to celebrate May 2, the Nuit Blanche arts festival, or the Religious Music Seasons. In May 2009, La Lira were invited to Portugal to represent Spanish bands at the 25th Arrentela International Band Meeting (Lisbon), where they received excellent reviews praising their wonderful richness of tone.
Despite its short history, the band has already taken part in Band Contests such as those in Leganés and Huesca in 2000. The prizes started to arrive in 2006 when they won First Prize and Honorable Mention for the Best Band from the jury at the 58th National Band Contest Ciudad de Cullera. And at the 120th International Band Contest City of Valencia they won Second Prize in the Second Division, achieving the highest score among the national bands. In October 2008 the Band won First Prize in the 3rd National Band Contest Villa de Magallón (Zaragoza). Consequently, in 2009 they were contracted to record their first commercial CD on the French label Agorila. The CD includes bullfighting pasodobles by compositors such as Abel Moreno, Luis Serrano Alarcón, Pascual Piqueras and Vicente Cueva, among others.
In 2010, and to commemorate their 20th Anniversary, La Lira has programmed a series of events, including a performance in the National Music Auditorium in Madrid on 19 June, and their participation in the International Band Contest City of Valencia in the Honorary Division, the first Madrid band to have this honor.
BIOGRAPHY OF THE CONDUCTOR
MAXIMILIANO SANTOS FERRER
Maximiliano Santos Ferrer was born in Buñol (Valencia) in 1971. He studied Horn in his local Conservatory of Music, before going on to the Royal Superior Conservatory in Madrid where he gained the End of Degree Prize and maximum qualifications in his advanced studies in Chamber Music. He furthered his musical studies in the State University of Music and Drama in Stuttgart (Germany) where he completed his postgraduate studies with Professor Radovan Vlatkovic and attended Orchestra Conducting classes given by Professor Helmuth Rilling.
He has attended numerous courses in orchestra and band conducting, in addition to completing specialist training with renowned teachers.
From 1990 to 2001 he was a member of the Army’s Non-commissioned Officer Corps, performing as the Horn soloist in various band groups, including the King’s Own Immemorial Infantry Regiment Band and the Symphonic Band of the Royal Guard.
He has been a member of the Madrid Symphony Orchestra, the official orchestra of the Teatro Real, and the Orchestra of the Autonomous Region of Madrid, the official orchestra of the Teatro de la Zarzuela. He has also been invited, on countless occasions, to perform with professional bands such as the Madrid and La Coruña Municipal Bands, and with orchestras such as the Spanish Radio and Television Symphony (RTVE), the Orchestra of Cadaqués, the Principality of Asturias Symphony, the Philharmonic of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the Galicia Symphony Orchestra. He has played under the baton of famous conductors such as García Navarro, García Asensio, Cristóbal and Pedro Halffter, Comisiona, López Cobos, Colin Davis, Rostropovich and Schneider, and has accompanied singers of such stature as Alfredo Kraus, Placido Domingo, Rugiero Raimondi, Carlos Álvarez and María Bayo.
He is a founding member, along with soloists from the RTVE Orchestra, of the “Madrid Cámara" Wind Quintet, with which he has given various concerts, performed at numerous festivals all over Spain and recorded several concerts for Spanish Television and Canal Clásico. He has also worked with contemporary music groups such as Plural Ensemble and “Modus Novus”.
His skills as an arranger and compositor are also notable, and have led him to write several pieces for ensembles as important as the Spanish Brass Luur Metalls, the Armónica Brass-Band, Madrid Brass and Madrid Cámara. He has also written transcriptions for grand events such as the recent inauguration of the new Reina Sofía Superior School of Music. His works have been published by Ediciones BIM (Switzerland).
He has given various master classes both in his specialism and brass instruments. Moreover, he is Assistant Professor of the City of Alcalá Orchestra and the Student Symphony Orchestra of the Autonomous Region of Madrid.
Currently he is Professor of both Horn and Orchestra at the Getafe Professional Conservatory of Music, and the Artistic Director of the Pozuelo de Alarcón “La Lira” Foundation. |
