• Image archive of the Municipal Symphony Band of València.
- The Governing Board has awarded the supply of flutes, oboes, saxophones, horns, trumpets, clarinets, bassoons, euphoniums, and percussion instruments
The City Council of València has given a new boost to the Municipal Symphony Band of València (BSMV), within the framework of the municipal strategy ‘València Music City’, with the acquisition of 64 instruments for a total amount of 732,876.00 euros. It is worth noting that just a year ago, the century-old musical ensemble unveiled a new corporate image. Now, it was the Local Government Board that approved this past Friday the contract for the supply of musical instruments and their accessories, initially composed of seven lots.
The Municipal Symphony Band of València was founded in 1903, by then city councilor Vicente Ávalos Ruiz, also a journalist and art critic, who a couple of years earlier had proposed to the highest musical authority of the time, Salvador Giner, the creation of the Municipal Band under the direction of Santiago Lope. The first concert of the ensemble was conducted by Lope on December 8, 1903.
From that moment on, and with Lope at the helm of the ensemble, the Municipal Symphony Band achieved numerous successes, such as three first prizes at the International Contest of Bilbao, held in 1905. The band’s music directors have included masters Lope, Vega, Ayllón, Seguí, Palanca, Ferriz, Garcés, Ribelles, Sánchez Torrella, Bonete Piqueras, Rafael Sanz-Espert, Miquel Rodrigo i Tamarit.
The objective of this municipal contract is to provide the BSMV with the appropriate materials to deliver the service in the best conditions of interpretative and sound quality, given that it is a century-old musical ensemble of high national and international prestige and level, holder of the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts, the highest decoration awarded by the State, and the High Distinction of the Valencian Government for Cultural Merit.
To renew the inventory of instruments, the needs of the Band have been taken into account, evaluating previous acquisitions and prioritizing quality criteria, such as sound, tuning, reliability, and materials used in the construction of the equipment, in order to adapt each instrument to the physical, artistic, and interpretative characteristics of each teacher.
The winning companies, along with the instruments they have committed to supply to the Municipal Symphony Band of València, are as follows:
- Lot 1. Flutes, oboes, and bassoon, for an amount of 186,378.00 euros. Ervitimusik S.L.
- Lot 2. Saxophones. 138,200.00 euros. Ervitimusik S.L.
- Lot 3. Horns, trumpets, and euphonium. 45,028.00 euros. Ervitimusik S.L.
- Lot 6. Percussion. 130,592.00 euros. Holmusic Dral S.L.
- Lot 7. Clarinets. 232,678.00 euros. Ervitimusik S.L.
Of the seven lots tendered, lots 4 and 5, corresponding to the supply of euphoniums, tubas, trombones, and string instruments, have been left empty.
Cristóbal Soler is the current director of the BSMV, which performs numerous concerts every year, including concert series at the Palau de la Música, those in June at the Palau gardens, its participation in the International Contest of Music Bands ‘Ciutat de València’, as well as performances in neighborhoods, towns in the Valencian Community, and also in several European cities. The ensemble also participates in the official events of the València City Council.
The phenomenon in the Valencian Community, where 52% of musicians in Spain are located, means that in the city of València and more specifically in a professional ensemble like the Municipal Symphony Band of Valencia, professionals of an indisputable first artistic level are providing their services.
Their trajectory and experience make them one of the best ensembles in the country. This circumstance requires the faculty to need specialized instruments of superior level. Each performer requires specific technical characteristics that adapt to their personality, adding value to their artistic work and interpretation demanded by the artistic direction, and necessarily identified with a specific brand or model of individualized instrument.
