L’Harmonia Societat Musical d’Alacant (Alicante)


The Philharmonic Winds (Singapur)

HISTORY OF THE BAND

The Societat Musical l'Harmonia was founded in August 2005. Its objectives are: increase the range of music on offer in the city of Alicante; perform quality music; organize concerts, courses and lectures; take part in contests and, of course, participate in local traditional festivities.

The Band's official debut was on 14 January 2006 in a special concert held in the AulaCAM. In April 2006 it won Second Prize in Division Three at the 35th Provincial Wind Band Contest organized by the Alicante Provincial Government; this was a great achievement for this recently established band. On 20 March 2007, the Band was awarded the Jaume I Prize in recognition of their work to preserve the culture of Alicante.

Since then they have won numerous prizes, including Honorable Mention in the 2008 Region of Valencia contest; Second Prize in the Murcia National Contest in 2011; and Third Prize in the International Wind Band Contest "City of Valencia" in 2008. The group also does work for charity, including giving an annual benefit concert. It has performed in Alicante and various other Spanish cities, organized two international band summits and recorded five CDs.

L'Harmonia Societat Musical d'Alacant currently has a youth band made up of 45 students and a school with 150 students and 17 teachers. It also has a big band made up of adult students and a children's band. Today the Band has 70 member musicians, the majority of whom are degree students, together with amateur musicians and various professionals. L'Harmonia also has a chamber choir, "Contrapunctum", which specializes in Renaissance music and is conducted by José Vicente Sánchez Albertos.


BIOGRAPHY OF THE CONDUCTOR

José Tomás Moñinos Baeza

José Tomás Moñinos Baeza was born in El Campello on 5 July 1969 and began studying music when he was six years old.

He went on to study at the Oscar Esplá Superior Conservatory of Music in Alicante, where he completed his studies in saxophone with Israel Mira in 1995. He also studied harmony, and counterpoint and fugue with Joan Enric Canet, Montserrat Belles and José Vicente Asensi. He furthered his saxophone skills with Pedro Iturralde, Serge Bichon, Arno Borkamp, Alain Crepin, Nobuya Sugawa, José Manuel Zaragoza and Francisco Martínez.

He studied band conducting for five years with Francesc Cabrelles. He later went on to further his conducting skills with Enrique García Asensio.

As a guest conductor he has led the band of the Sant Joan D'Alacant Sociedad Musical La Paz on several occasions, and he also taught saxophone at their music school from October 1992 to June 2004.

He has conducted the Batiste Mut Pulso y Púa (Pulse and Plectrum) Orchestra of El Campello and he also directed the band and music school of the Orxeta Sociedad Musical La Lira for two years. During the 1997-8 academic year he completed a postgraduate teacher certification course, specializing in music teaching, at the University of Valencia. From 1997 to 2005 he was the director of the Alicante Agrupación Musical S.C.D. Carolinas and their music school.

He is currently the head conductor and founder of the Casino Choral Group of El Campello (since May 1995) and head conductor of the Aigües "Amics" Choir (from October 2002). He is the founder of the Societat Musical l'Harmonia d'Alacant; he has been the head conductor of the association's band and director of its music school since they were established in August 2005.