PASCUAL-VILAPLANA
Resident conductor
Chief Conductor of the Barcelona Symphonic Band since 2028. He is Principal Guest Conductor of the Bilbao Municipal Band, where he served as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director between 2015 and 2025. He is also Associate Principal Conductor of the Portuguese Symphonic Band in Porto (Portugal), an ensemble with which he has collaborated since 2009.
He studied piano and euphonium with the Muro Band and at the Conservatories of Alcoy and Valencia. He trained in wind band conducting in the Netherlands with Jan Cober and Eugene Corporon, and in orchestral conducting in Vienna with Karl Österreicher, Joji Yuasa and Hans Graf. He also studied harmony and composition with Rafael Alcaraz and Javier Darias.
He has conducted a wide range of orchestral ensembles, including the Royal Navy Band in the Netherlands, the National Band of Cuba, the National Youth Bands of the Netherlands and Colombia, the Slovenian Army Band (SAF), the Municipal Bands of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, the Accademia Orchestra of the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, the WASBE Youth Wind Band in San José (California), the AULOS Blasorchester in Switzerland, the Schwäbisches Jugendblasorchester in Germany, the Symphony Orchestras of Bilbao, Albacete and Murcia, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the Symphony Orchestra of Castile and León, the Municipal Bands of A Coruña, Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Palma de Mallorca, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Santander, Santiago de Compostela, Valencia and Vitoria, the bands of the higher conservatories of Oviedo, Granada, Jaén, the Canary Islands and MUSIKENE (Basque Country), as well as the Gran Canaria Wind Orchestra and the La Rioja Symphonic Band, among others.
He has worked with soloists such as singers Elisabete Matos, Estrella Morente, Carmen Solís, María Hinojosa, Andeka Gorrotxategui, Carlos Mena and Mikeldi Atxalandabasso; flautists Juana Guillem and Claudi Arimany; clarinettists Paquito D’Rivera and José Franch-Ballester; horn player Juan Manuel Gómez; trumpeters Sergei Nakariakov, Pacho Flores, Esteban Batallán, Luis González, Rubén Simeó, Mario Martos and Manuel Blanco; trombonists Ben van Dijk, Jörgen van Rijen, Peter Moore and Ximo Vicedo; tubist Sergio Carolino; percussionists Conrado Moya, Noé Rodrigo and Xabier Alonso; cellists Asier Polo and Josep Trescolí; and pianists Albert Guinovart and Juan Pérez Floristán. He has also conducted choral institutions such as the Orfeón Donostiarra, the Orfeón Pamplonés and the Bilbao Choral Society.
As a composer, he has written various symphonic and chamber works, receiving commissions from numerous festivals (SBALZ Alzira, Certamen d’Altea, Tafalla Brass Week, Festival de Música de Castilla-La Mancha, Certamen Coral de Cocentaina, to name a few) and from renowned soloists (Spanish Brass, Steven Mead, Luis González, Ximo Vicedo, Carlos Gil, 2i2 Quartet, Barcelona Clarinet Players, among others).
In 1997, he won the 1st Prize Golden Baton at the WMC Conducting Competition in Kerkrade (Netherlands). In 2000, he won the 1st Prize Baton of Honour at the EBBA Conducting Competition in Birmingham (England). In 2004, he received the EUTERPE Prize from the Federation of Musical Societies of the Valencian Community in the categories of Band Conducting and Music Composition for Festive Events. In 2010, he received the “Ignacio Morales Nieva” National Music Prize at the Castilla-La Mancha Music Festival. In 2020, he received the Maitena Prize from the Bilbao Choral Society for his career achievements.
RAFAEL AGULLÓ ALBORS
BMB DEPUTY CONDUCTOR
Born in Cocentaina (Alicante), he started learning to play the saxophone at the Unió Musical Contestana School of Music, continuing his studies at the Ontinyent Professional Conservatory and the Alicante Conservatory. To extend his knowledge of the instrument, he studied with leading international players such as Daniel Kientzy, Manuel Miján, Claude Delanghe, Pere Iturralde, Eric Devalon, Marie Bernadette, Arno Bornkamp and Nobuya Sugawa. In 2000 he began to study band conducting at the Escola Comarcal in Vall d’Albaida, where he was taught by José Rafael Pascual Vilaplana, Ramon García i Soler and José Vicente Asensi Seva. He continued his studies at the European Institute of Music in Trento, Italy, where he completed an advanced band conducting course taught by Jan Cober, Felix Harswith, Franco Cesarini and Carlo Pirola in 2006. He also attended master classes in conducting taught by leading figures such as Henry Adams, Eugene Corporon, Jan Van Der Roost, Johan de Meij, Alex Schillings and Douglas Bostock. He has studied composition at the Vigo Conservatory and orchestral conducting at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de A Coruña and recently completed a master’s in jazz at the ESTUDIO music school in Santiago de Compostela. He has taught at various schools in Valencia, the Escola Profissional de Viana do Castelo (Portugal) and has been principal conductor of the Agrupació Musical d’Ontinyent, the Unió Musical de Busot, and the Unió Musical de Muro youth band. He has appeared as guest conductor with a number of ensembles in Spain (Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, the municipal bands of A Coruña, Vitoria, Ourense, Castelló de la Plana and Oviedo, Real Filharmonía de Galicia, Gran Canaria Wind Orchestra) and abroad (Banda Sinfónica Portuguesa, Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música, the Orquestra de Sopros do Conservatório Nacional in Lisbon, Orquestra do Norte in Portugal, Rundfunk Blasorchester Leipzig, and the Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy, among others). He regularly attends advanced orchestral conducting classes taught by leading figures in the field. He teaches at the Escola de Música Municipal de Silleda (Pontevedra) and conducts the Banda Municipal, organises conferences for young musicians in Portugal, teaches conducting at the Joventuts Musicals de la Vall d’Albaida association (Valencia) and the Academia Europeia de Direcção de Banda (Portugal), and is principal conductor of the Banda de Música de Pontevedra.
Ximo Tarín Micó
BMB DEPUTY CONDUCTOR
In 2010, he completed his clarinet studies at the Superior School of Music of Catalonia (ESMUC) with Josep Fuster and Joan Enric Lluna. Since then, and until 2016, he has been a regular collaborator with the Barcelona Symphonic Band as a clarinettist.
In parallel, since 2005 he has developed his activity as a composer. Between 2008 and 2013 he was a resident composer at the Jove Orquestra Simfònica Diaula, where under the direction of Alfons Reverté, he premiered the orchestral works Aforismes, Concertino, Danses Valencianes and others.
He has received commissions from groups such as Barcelona Clarinet Players, Duet’tot sols, TetraBrass Bcn Ensemble, Quintet Frontela, 2AZ1 Duo, Casino Musical de Godella, L’Artística Manisense, in addition to other emerging artists.
In 2015, he was awarded the prize of the 1st Composition Competition for Trombone Octet of Catalonia with the work Vuit Soldats de Varsòvia and in 2021 with the Rosa d’Or de la Pau of the Castellitx d’Algaida (Mallorca) awards with the work Música de la cort dels hòmens, for band. He has also premiered works in Paraguay, the United States, the Netherlands and in Spain.
In 2014, he completed his studies in orchestral conducting at the Superior Conservatory of the Liceu with Manel Valdivieso, Francesc Prat, Guerassim Voronkov and Daniel Mestre. That same year he founded the Jove Orquestra Barcino of which he was the principal conductor until 2016.
Between 2016 and 2018 he studied at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts in the city of Tilburg (Netherlands) where he completed the Wind Band Conducting Master with masters Hardy Mertens (with whom he also develops his facet as a composer), Henrie Adams and Jan Cober.
He conducts the Harmonie St. Michael van Thorn (Netherlands) in its final recital, where he premieres his Symphony No. 1 for 40 players.
In February 2019 he conducts the Municipal Band of Music of Palma (Simfovents) as a guest conductor and from September he is appointed principal conductor of the Band of the Musical Society La Primitiva de Rafelbunyol.
Since 2023 he has been deputy conductor of the Barcelona Symphonic Band.
SALVADOR BROTONS
BMB'S MAIN GUEST CONDUCTOR
He was born in Barcelona, where he studied flute with his father and completed his musical education at the Conservatory of Music of Barcelona, earning advanced degrees in flute, composition, and orchestral conducting. In 1985, he received a Fulbright scholarship, which allowed him to move to the United States, where he obtained a doctorate in music from Florida State University.
From 1977 to 1985, he served as principal flutist of the Gran Teatre del Liceu Orchestra in Barcelona and was also a member of the Ciutat de Barcelona Orchestra (1981-1985).
As a composer, he has created over 170 works, primarily orchestral and chamber music, and has received numerous awards and composition commissions. Many of his pieces have been published and recorded on various CDs in Europe and the United States under labels such as Naxos, Auvidis, Albany Records, Claves, Harmonia Mundi, RNE, Discmedi, among others.
In Spain, he has served as principal conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of the Balearic Islands “Ciutat de Palma,” the Vallès Symphony Orchestra, and the Barcelona Municipal Band, and he is currently the principal conductor of the Sant Cugat Symphony Orchestra. In the United States, since 1991, he has been the principal conductor of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (Washington State), where he has received accolades such as the “Arts Council Award” granted by Clark County and the City of Vancouver (2005) and the “Lifetime Achievement Award” (2020).
As a guest conductor, he has led orchestras in the Czech Republic, Germany, South Africa, Poland, South Korea, China, Israel, Italy, Belgium, Uruguay, Venezuela, the United States, Bulgaria, and Spain.
Currently, he balances a busy schedule as an orchestral conductor with composing numerous commissions in various genres. Additionally, he is a professor of orchestral conducting at the Catalonia College of Music (ESMUC). During the 2016-2017 season, he was composer-in-residence at the Palau de la Música Catalana. In 2024, he was honored with the Felip Pedrell Award by the Association of Musical Directors (Barcelona) in recognition of his career and his efforts to promote Catalan music and culture.
músics
CLARINETS
Manuel Martínez, principal
José Miguel Micó, principal
Natàlia Zanón, principal
Joana Altadil
Eduard Betes
Valeria Conti
Àngel Errea
Joan Estellés
German Guillén
Victòria Gonzálvez
Montserrat Margalef
Joan Tormo
Javier Vilaplana, E-flat clarinet
Martí Guasteví, alt clarinet
José Vicente Montesinos, bass clarinet
SAXOPHONES
Maurici Esteller, soprano
Daniel Molina, alto principal
Marta Romero, alto
Armand Franco, tenor
José Jaime Rivera, tenor
Joan Soler, baritone
FLUTES
Manel Reyes, principal
Carme Arrufat
Paula Martínez, piccolo
OBOES
Pilar Bosque, principal
David Perpiñán
Carla Suárez, English Horn
Bassoons
Daniel Ortuño, principal
Xavier Cervera
HORNS
Claudia Cobos, principal
Abdó Sancho, principal
Germán Izquierdo
Carlos Lizondo
Miquel Zapata
TRUMPETS
Ramon Figueras, principal
Jesús Munuera, principal
Maurici Albas
Santiago Gozálbez
Jesus Pascual
José Joaquín Salvador
TROMBONES
Emilio Almenar, principal
Emilio Bayarri, principal
Francis Ivars
Francisco Palacios, bass trombone
Euphoniums
Rubén Zuriaga, principal
David Pantin
TUBAS
Francisco Javier Molina, soloist
Antoni Chelvi
Timpani
Ferran Carceller, principal
PERCUSSION
Mateu Caballé, principal
Ferran Armengol
Àlex Llorens
DOUBLE BASSES
Enric Boixadós
Antoni Cubedo
Management Team
JOAN XICOLA
Planning Director
jxicola@auditori.cat
SUSANNA GAMISEL
Executive coordination
sgamisel@auditori.cat
ÀLEX FERNÁNDEZ
Archivist
afernandez@auditori.cat
Social commitment
The social project is a fundamental part of the Band's activity and that is why we work to bring symphonic music closer to those people in vulnerable situations and in the field of disability in collaboration with Apropa Cultura.
El cicle La Banda ens Apropa ofereix concerts amb sessions relaxades. Això vol dir que les normes relacionades amb el soroll i el moviment en la sala són més relaxades i també pot haver-hi petits ajustaments en la llum, el so, etc. per adaptar-se millor al benestar de qualsevol mena de públic. Aquest tipus de sessions estan adreçades a totes les persones i famílies que prefereixen o gaudeixen d’una atmosfera més relaxada, reduint així els nivells d’ansietat i convertint-ho en una millor experiència (famílies amb nens, persones amb Alzheimer, persones amb autisme, etc.).
The concerts take place in the morning during the week, favoring the attendance of social groups.
Conducting course
Following the success of the previous editions, applications are now being accepted for the Fifth Symphonic Band Conducting Course at L’Auditori de Barcelona by L’Auditori de Barcelona and the Barcelona Symphonic Band, in collaboration with the Federació Catalana de Societats Musicals.
The course will take place between July 7 and 11, 2025 and will be directed by José R. Pascual-Vilaplana, Barcelona Symphonic Band’s principal conductor The Barcelona Symphonic Band will once again be made available to the students to work during the course and to be conducted during the closing concert.
By offering this course, L’Auditori de Barcelona and the Barcelona Symphonic Band seek to foster talent in the world of band conducting through theoretical and practical training. The participants will work on a repertoire with the Barcelona Symphonic Band and explore aspects such as gesture, score analysis, rehearsal planning, the funding challenges facing conductors, and factors as crucial–given the reality of today’s bands–as programme planning for amateur bands, motivation and the evolution of these ensembles.
Under the direction of Pascual-Vilaplana, the course will allow band conductors to gain a better insight into technical aspects and to build up a contextualised overview of symphonic bands , from the perspective of both original repertoires for bands and their singularity as orchestral ensembles.
This year the guest teacher is the composer Josep Vicent Egea.
REGISTRATION
There are two types of registration: active students and listening students. A maximum of 10 active students will be accepted. Listening students will be able to attend the theoretical classes and participate as spectators in the practical classes. Classes will take place in the morning and afternoon.
Those interested in learning more about the Fifth Course in Band Direction at L'Auditori can write to cursdirecciobandes@gmail.com.
Registration until May 15, 2025.
Consult here Course Dossier
