Pedro Vicente is the Councillor for Music of the Llíria City Council. But additionally, he is a professional musician – clarinetist – and has carved out a career as a conductor, since he was only 18 years old, he conducted the Banda Juvenil de la Primitiva de Llíria, his band.
His professional career has allowed him to get to know the world of band conducting closely and, at the same time, to discover what the career of young people who want to dedicate themselves, in a professional way, to orchestral conducting is like.
It is a very complex world and difficult to access because new conductors do not have the opportunity to conduct first-rate orchestras. With this philosophy, the 1st “Llíria, city of music” International Orchestra Conducting Competition was born, which also aims to vindicate – even more if possible – the international outreach of Llíria; a city that is, since the end of 2019, a UNESCO Creative City.
How does the idea to promote the creation of the competition come about?
There are conducting competitions in different parts of the world, but none of them represents a real opportunity for the winners. In Spain, specifically in Cadaqués, a competition of international relevance was promoted, which offered the winner the possibility of conducting first-rate orchestras.
This competition is no longer held, and we have wanted to recover, reinvent and promote a similar initiative with the creation of the 1st “Llíria, city of music” International Orchestra Conducting Competition.
What we want is to serve as a platform for the winners, as it once happened with Nuno Coelho, Pablo Fernández or Charles Peebles in Cadaqués.
Apart from the financial endowment of the prizes, is there also a job opportunity?
Yes. It is the most interesting thing about this contest and what makes it unique in the whole world. The winner will be able to get a contract with some of the best professional orchestras in all of Spain.
It is an unprecedented opportunity. It is very difficult to conduct one of these orchestras, especially if a conductor is under 35 years old, as is the case with our contestants. Thanks to the competition, the winner will be able to expand their professional career, have visibility and benefit from an exceptional platform to develop their career.
Therefore, collaborating orchestras are an essential part of the competition.
Indeed. When we began to propose the organization of the competition, we were clear that the participation of professional orchestras was an unavoidable element. From here, I want to thank the managers and conductors of all of them for joining the project. It has been fundamental.
It is a pleasure and pride for Llíria to have the collaboration of the National Orchestra of Spain, the RTVE Symphony Orchestra, the Valencia Orchestra, the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra, the Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra, the Granada City Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of the Region of Murcia, the Oviedo Philharmonic, the Extremadura Orchestra and the Royal Symphony Orchestra of Seville.
Without forgetting the FSMCV Symphony Orchestra, Harmonie Ensemble, ESMAR Orchestra, Extremadura Youth Orchestra and Youth Orchestra of the Region of Murcia; that collaborate within the special AESDO award.
Another very important element is the figure of the artistic director. How has it been like working with Cristóbal Soler?
Cristóbal is a magnificent professional, who has been involved in the project from minute zero. His contribution to the competition has been and still is fundamental. We have worked side by side from the elaboration of the bases and the establishment of the jury to the choice of the repertoire pieces. And he is involved in the entire organization that we are working with from the City Council’s Department of Culture.
In addition, he oversees the preparation of the competition’s resident orchestra, which is made up of first-rate professionals – mostly from Llíria –. The competition will also be an opportunity to project the artistic and musical quality of our musicians and our musical societies.
In addition to the artistic direction and the collaborating orchestras, the competition involves a series of sponsors who have wanted to join the project.
Yes. It is a pleasure that a project, in which we have put all our enthusiasm and effort, has the sponsors we have. This means that we have done a good job and that all of them consider that the competition is a platform and a showcase to promote their brands.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Vegamar, a reference in our town; to the AIE (Association of Interpreters and Performers), to Neomúsica, the Territory and Sheet Music Foundation, Musicians without Borders and Edauto.
The final of the competition is on Saturday 17 July and the final touch will be with a concert by the Primitiva and the Unión at the Plaza Mayor. Is it the perfect closure?
It is the icing on the cake of the competition. We will dress the Plaza Mayor in gala to celebrate a concert, one hand in hand, between the Clarín and the Unión, as if it were a Concert de les Bandes in September.
During the weekend of the final, we will have in Llíria a whole series of personalities from the highest level of music. It is an ideal opportunity for them to know, first-hand, the musical wealth of our societies and, thus, to be able to project it to the rest of the world.
They are the basis of our heritage and the origin of our name as City of Music and, therefore, it was essential that they participated in the competition. It will not just be a concert but, during the concert, the competition awards ceremony will take place and we will know the name of the winner.
In addition to the competition, the Llíria City Council has prepared a concert programme throughout the week.
Yes. Llíria will experience music, with great intensity, throughout the week. We have prepared a very varied programme with very high-quality interpreters, which starts on Saturday 10 July.
The citizens of Llíria and the entire province will be able to enjoy concerts with different groups – there are chamber groups, jazz groups, choral music, ensembles – from the Palau de les Arts and from Esmar (High Performance Music School). It is a parallel programme that we want to connect and merge with the competition.
Is the competition open to spectators?
Yes. The public can access all phases of the competition. We will open the prior reservation of the seats through the municipal app. The first two phases will be held on the 13th and 14th at the Llíria Conservatory, while the final two phases – on the 15th, 16th and 17th July – will be held at the Teatro de la Unión Musical de Llíria.
We want citizens to get involved and live the competition with intensity. It is a very significant event that multiplies the artistic, cultural and tourist potential of our city. We are waiting for you all!
