Banda Sinfónica "La Artística" de Buñol

HISTORY OF THE BAND

The Buñol "La Artística" Symphonic Band has existed for over 125 years and is considered to be one of the best wind bands in the world. They have performed all over Spain and in France, Austria, Holland, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland.

They have received many awards and won prizes at various contests, including those obtained in the "Special A" Section at the Valencia Contest in 1963, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1993 and 1995, where they won the highest awards. In 1990 they won, in addition to an Honorable Mention, the Performance Prize from the Sociedad General de Autores de España.

1993 was a particularly successful year. They took part in three contests in a month and won: First Prize in the Requena National Contest and the "Ramón Marí Pino" Extraordinary Award; First Prize and Honorable Mention in the International Wind Band Contest "City of Valencia"; First Prize in the WMC in Kerkrade (Holland).

In 1999 they took part in the Saarbrucken Festival in Germany.

In 2000 they won First Prize and Honorable Mention in the 29th Vila d'Altea International Wind Band Contest.

In 2001 they took part in the 50th edition of the WMC in Kerkrade (Holland), where they won all the important prizes in their division: Certified First Prize with the highest score of all the participating bands; the "Golden Timpani"; the World Champion Flag; and the Flag for the foreign band with the highest number of points in the contest's history.

In 2001 they were presented with the World Wind Music Gold Disc for having sold more than 20,000 wind band music CDs.

In 2004 they took part in the Lucerne Festival (Switzerland), representing Valencian and Spanish wind band music.

In 2005 they won the Second Prize in the Honorary Division of the International Wind Band Contest "City of Valencia".

In 2009 they took part in the Altea National Competition where they received First Prize, Honorable Mention and the highest score in the history of the Contest.

Its recording catalogue is extensive, including 24 CDs which cover the entire panorama of wind band music.

Since 1989, the Band's more than 180 musicians have been led by the renowned Dutch Director, Henrie Adams.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE CONDUCTOR

Henrie Adams

Henrie Adams was born in Thorn (Holland). He studied Oboe and Direction in the Maastricht Conservatory with Antón Kersjes, Lukas Vis and Pierre Kuijpers.

He attended master classes in Orchestra Direction with Pierre Dervaux and Enrique García Asensio.

As principal director he led: the "Sinfonietta" Chamber Orchestra of Maastricht; "La Unión" Symphony Band of Heythuysen and the "Eendracht" Symphony Band of Meyel; and the Youth Orchestra of the Valencia Region (1992-1999).

As a guest director he has led: the "Royal" Symphonic Band of the Hague, the "Les Guides" Symphonic Band of Brussels, the Madrid Municipal Symphonic Band, the Portland Festival Orchestra (USA), the Limburg Symphony Orchestra, the Valencia Orchestra, the Extremadura Symphony Orchestra and the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra.

Since 1989 he has been the principal director of the Symphonic Band and Symphony Orchestra of the Buñol "La Artística" Music Association.

He recorded the CD, "Los Inmortales", with music from Manuel Palau, Ángeles López Artiga and Joaquín Rodrigo and the Youth Orchestra of the Valencia Region.

With the Buñol "La Artística" Symphonic Band, he has recorded the following CDs for the label World Wind Music:
"Preludios, Intermedios y Danzas" by Zarzuelas; "Sinfonías: II, III y IV" by Alfred Reed; "Sinfonía Nº 1: El Señor de los Anillos" and "Nº 2: La Gran Manzana" by Johan de Meij; "Pasodobles y Pasodobles valencianos", "Saludos de España" and "Spanish Winds 1 y 2"; the instrumental music for the tetralogy "El Anillo de los Nibelungos" by Richard Wagner; "Famous Overtures"; "Conciertos para trompa" by W. A. Mozart, with the Valencian trumpet player, Vicente Zarzo; "Retratos musicales" of two great Valencian composers, Amando Blanquer Ponsoda and Miguel Asins Arbó; "La Artística Live"; "La Passió de Crist" by Ferrer Ferrán; "La Vall de la Murta" by Andrés Valero Castells; "Planet Earth, Sinfonia Nº 3" by Johan de Meij; "The Queen Symphony" by Tolga Kashif; and finally, "Pax et Bonum" with music by Teo Aparicio Barberán and Costantino Martinez-Orts.

Currently he is both principal director of Buñol "La Artística" and the Castellón Symphony Orchestra.