Isabel Urrutia, composer

 

Born in Algorta, Bizkaia, Spain, in 1967.

 

Isabel Urrutia studied composition, piano and music pedagogy at The Bilbao Music Conservatory. She completed her higher level studies in composition at The Madrid Music Conservatory. Subsequently, she went on to train with music teachers Francisco Escudero and José Luis Campana, amongst others.

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She worked as a teacher of harmony, analysis, counterpoint and composition at The Centre of Musical Studies “Juan Antxieta”, Bilbao. Later she taught harmony, analysis and the fundamentals of composition at The Bilbao Music Conservatory. Currently, she is a lecturer at “Musikene” – Higher School of Music of The Basque Country, where she teaches harmony, counterpoint and composition techniques.

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She has given conferences and master classes on her  music in various universities and conservatories, both in Europe and in America: The University of The Basque Country (Bizkaia), The University of Deusto (Bizkaia), Teacher Training College (Bizkaia), The “Jesús Guridi” Conservatory, Vitoria (Alava), “Musikene” – Higher School of Music of The Basque Country, The “Franz Liszt” Horschüle of Music, Weimar (Germany), The CNR of Bordeaux ( France), The CNR of St. Etienne (France), The CNR of Bayonne (France), The Vivaldi Conservatory of Alessandria (Italy), The Catholic University of Argentina (Buenos Aires ), The Catholic University of Chile (Santiago de Chile), The National University of Mexico (Mexico D.F.), The Catholic University of Mexico (Monterrey, México)…

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Her works have been performed in various concert halls and music festivals in Europe, America and Asia.

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In Spain: The “Music of The 20th Century” Festival – Fine Art Museum Bilbao, The Bidebarrieta Library – Bilbao, Rekalde Hall – Bilbao,  Elcano Hall – Bilbao, Bilbaoarte Hall – Bilbao, Euskalduna Palace-Bilbao, Guggenheim Museum-Bilbao, Alhóndiga Auditorium-Bilbao, The “Quincena Musical” of San Sebastián-Gipuzkoa, The Victoria Eugenia Theatre-San Sebastián, The “Musikaste” Festival of Renteria-Gipuzkoa, Principal Theatre of Vitoria-Alava, Baluarte Auditorium of Pamplona-Navarra, “The First Week of Women in Music” Festival- Madrid, The National Music Auditorium – Madrid, The “Reina Sofía” Art Centre National Museum- Madrid, The Royal Theatre-Madrid, The ENSEMS Festival of Valencia, Auditorium of Murcia, “Príncipe Felipe” Auditorium of Oviedo-Asturias, Opera Palace of La Coruña-Galicia,”Alfredo Kraus” Auditorium of Gran Canaria-Canary Islands, Auditorium of Tenerife, Main Theatre of Córdoba…

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And also, in other countries: The “Franz Liszt” Horschüle of Music – Weimar (Germany), The ”Ile de  découvertes” Festival of Aulnay-sous-Bois (France), The ENMD of Aulnay-sous-Bois,  “Salle de la Terrasse” of Gyf-sur-Yvette (France), The Goethe Institute – Paris, The Cortot Room – Paris, The University of Saint Denis/Paris VIII, The CNR of The 20th district of Paris, Olivier Messiaen Auditorium of Radio France-Paris, The CNR of Bordeaux (France), The “Halle des Chartrons” Auditorium of Bordeaux (France), The Michel de Montaigne University of Bordeaux (France), The CNR of St.Ettienne, (France), The “Musiche in nostra” Festival of Turín (Italy), The Colon Theatre of Buenos Aires (Argentina), The “Recoleta” Cultural Centre of Buenos Aires (Argentina), International Encounters of Contemporary Music- ISCM of Buenos Aires (Argentina), The “Aspects of Contemporary Music” Festival at The Catholic University of Santiago de Chile (Chile), The Municipal Theatre of Santiago de Chile, The National University of Mexico D.F., The Catholic University of Monterrey, Mexico, The University of Illinois (U.S.A.), The  University de Oberlin (U.S.A), The Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Moscow, etc.

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In 2007 Isabel won the composition contest organised by The Spanish Association of Symphonic Orchestras (A.E.O.S), with her piece for orchestra, “Gerok”. This score has been interpreted by some Spanish orchestras, such as: Symphonic Orchestra of Galicia, Symphonic Orchestra of Bilbao, Symphonic Orchestra of Tenerife, Symphonic Orchestra of Madrid, Symphonic Orchestra of Córdoba, Symphonic Orchestra of Murcia, Spanish Radio Television Orchestra…

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In 2010 her work “Sei” was selected to represent Spain in The UNESCO International Tribune of Composers.

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In 2012 Isabel has won First Prize in the “Grazyna Bacewicz” International Composer Competition with her work “Haizearen nahiak”, concerto for clarinet in Bb and string orchestra.

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Different institutions and ensembles have commissioned her work: BBVA Foundation, Spanish Centre for the Diffusion of the Contemporary Music, ARCEMA-Paris Ensemble, Neopercusión…

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Various of her works have been premiered with international soloists such as: Pierre-Yves Artaud, (flute), André Cazalet,(horn), Jean Geoffroy and Junajo Guillén, (percussion), Pierre Strauch and Eric Marie Couturier,(cello), Julien Guénebaut and Dimitri Vassilakis( piano ),Iñaki Alberdi, ( accordion), José Luis Estellés, ( clarinet)…and also with international ensembles such as: Arditti Quartet, Neopercusión, Trio Arbós, Arriaga Quartet, Residencias Ensemble, ARCEMA/Paris Ensemble, etc.

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In 2015 Isabel Urrutia has started a new musical aesthetic, «World Timbres Mixture», a new sound for chamber and symphonic music, with the composer J.LCampana at the INA / GRM / Radio France (Radio France Music Research Group) of Paris.

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Tomas Jerez Munera, saxophone

 

Tomás Jerez Munera received the Honor Prize in Saxophone in 1997, granted by the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid. From that moment on, he improves his technique with professors Claude Delangle, Serge Bichon, J.M Londeix, Eric Devallon and Philippe Braquart.

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In 2002, he was awarded with the First Prize in the IV International Saxophone Competition “Villa de Benidorm”. In 2003, he was shortlisted among saxophonists from all Europe by the European Union Youth Wind Orchestra (EUYWO) to go on a concert tour around Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

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He performs as a international soloist in many international Music Festivals: International Saxophone Festival in Teror (Gran Canaria), X Ciclo de Música Actual de Badajoz –support by CNDM–, X Ciclo de Música Contemporánea BBVA Foundation –Bilbao 2019-20–, International Festival Music in Palma (Spain), International Saxophone Festival-Sczecin (Poland), IX International Old Music Festival in Gijón (Spain) –in both of them he was performing together with the group Sax Antiqua–, International Festival of Music in Palma (Spain), V Latin American Congress of Composers, Conductors, and Arrangers of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, International Festival of Saxophone in Palmela 2012-2016 (Portugal), International Saxophone Academy (Porto- Portugal), XII World Congress of Saxophone (Montreal, Canada), or Les Reencontres Musicales a Capvern (France). Due to his passion for chamber music, he is part of the Folium Fugit quartet and the Koalas Folga duo. He teaches master-classes and saxophone courses all over Spain, Portugal, and he teach in Francisco de Vitoria University, Menéndez Pelayo University and Castilla-La Mancha University.

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He was International Jury at CSMD de Poitiers (France) in 2014.

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He frequently collaborates with Orquesta Sinfónica de la Comunidad de Madrid, Orquesta de Cámara “Andrés Segovia”, and Orquesta Sinfónica de Radio Televisión Española (ORTVE) , with which he has made some recordings for RNE, Spanish National Ballet, and the label “RTVE Música”. Nowadays.

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Between 2007 & 2014 he was Saxophone teacher at Higher Music Centre of the Basque Country (MUSIKENE), and he has also worked as a soloist for the Albacete Symphonic Wind Band since 1994.

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From the 2018-2019 academic year he is Saxophone teacher at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Castilla-La Mancha.

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Since 2017, he is Henri Selmer Paris artist.

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Sergio Finca, tuba

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Born in 1979 in Oviedo, Sergio started his musical studies at the age of nine.

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He later gained a Medium Grade at the Music Conservatory in Oviedo, under Professor David Moen (Principal Tuba at the Symphony Orchestra of Asturias, Spain).

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He broadened his musical studies at the “Conservatoire National de Region” in Bordeaux and in Perpignan (France). Here he was awarded the ” Médaille d’honneur de la ville de Bordeaux” and the “Mention Très Bien à l’ Unanimité”. He attained the Superior Diploma of Musical Studies granted by the “Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique et de Danse Lyon”(France) with mention “Très Bien à l’Unanimité”  in a competition between this school and the CNSMD Paris.

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Sergio has also studied alongside Mel Culbertson, Arnaud Boukitine and he’s received lessons from Rex Martin, Roger Bobo, Harvey Philips, Arnold Jacobs, Gene Pokorny, Jens Bjorn Larsen and Michael Godard.

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He has been a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO), the Iberoamerican Youth Orchestra, the UBS Verbier Festival Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Spain.

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He has collaborated with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Euskadi Symphony Orchestra, Granada Symphony Orchestra, Asturias Symphony Orchestra, the National Orchestra of the Capitol of Toulouse, Bordeaux- Aquitane National Orchestra, Lyon National Opera Orchestra, the Orquesta Nacional de España and the Saint Etienne Opera. With these orchestras he has worked under the baton of conductors Zubin Metha, James Levine, Bernard Haitink, Yuri Termikanov, Eliahu Inbal, Jesús López Cobos, Paavo Jarvi, Ivan Fischer, Gunter Herbig, Josep Pons, Yutaka Sado, etc.

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He’s participated as a member of the Jury at the “International Lieksa Tuba Competition 2013”, “Concour Tuba Tours 2017” and “Concurso Permanente Jóvenes Intérpretes” Juventudes Musicales de España.

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Sergio was given awards at the Sydney International Competition of Australia in 1999, and in 2000 at Brno in the Czech Republic. He has won First Prize at the Permanent Competition for Young Performers, organised by Juventudes Musicales of Spain (Altea in 2003).

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His performance for Televisión Española in a recital at Madrid’s National Auditorium in November 2003 stood out. Also outstanding were his appearances as a soloist at the International Festival of Music and Dance in Granada (2004) , the Spanish Brass Festival (Alzira 2004) and the Festival AETYB Valencia 2016, where he performed as a soloist accompanied by the Orquesta de Valencia .

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He’s been Principal Tuba of the “Banda de Música Ciudad de Oviedo” and the “Orchestre National de L’Ópera de Lyon”.

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In September 2005 he won first prize at the “Brno International Performer’s Competition” in Brno, Czech Republic.

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From March 2006 he is a member of the Spanish Brass, performing and giving masterclasses all over the world. He has received, alongside his colleagues from the Spanish Brass, the “Premio Nacional de Música 2020”(Spain).

He is a member of the Spanish Tuba Quartet and he is a board member of the “AETYB” (Spanish Association of Tuba and Euphonium).

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Sergio Finca plays Melton and B&S tubas.

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