Berklee College of Music, Boston, nominates the International Wind Band Contest "City of Valencia" for the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts 2011.

The prestigious music institution, Berklee College of Music, Boston, has nominated the International Wind Band Contest "City of Valencia" for the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts. 

This year the candidature has already been supported by more than 130 prominent individuals and organizations in the music world across Europe, America and Asia. This recognition has been in addition to the demand for the Contest and its presence at all international music summits; and this honor will be repeated in 2011 when the American music university nominates the world’s most important music event for bands once again. 

The 2011 award nomination coincides with the 125th edition of the International Wind Band Contest "City of Valencia", a figure that emphasizes the work carried out by Valencia City Council together with other Valencian Institutions, such as the Ministry of Culture and the Valencia Provincial Council, in favor of the propagation of Valencian music and hosting, every year, one of the world’s most important events for symphony bands.

The nominating organization is the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Founded in 1945, it is the world’s largest independent music university and the leading institution dedicated to the study of modern music. With more than 4,000 students and 500 teachers, Berklee offers its students study programs in areas such as Performance, Composition, Sound Engineering and Production, Film Scoring, Music Management, Music Synthesis, Music Education and Music Therapy.

For the Berklee College of Music, "the International Wind Band Contest "City of Valencia" is today a cultural reference point that broadcasts band music to the rest of the world, attracting the best groups from the five continents who take part to compete and test themselves against symphony bands from the Autonomous Region of Valencia and the rest of Spain. Indeed, participating bands have come from a list of countries starting with Argentina and continuing through Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States of America and Uruguay. All this makes the Contest a point of reference and the most important contest in the world in its discipline.” 

Consequently, the organization I represent, believes that the International Wind Band Contest "City of Valencia", which this year celebrates its 125th anniversary, deserves to the considered for this important award and recognition from the Prince of Asturias Foundation.

Best regards,