Pieces of many kinds filled the day: traditional numbers such as Floreo de Remis or muñeira de Barganaz accompanied by drums; several of Sonsoles Rodríguez Granda’s own piano-led compositions; and pieces with electroacoustic textures, including Professor Jorge Carrillo’s Xana, notable as the first work heard at 9 am, as well as Zero by María Mendoza, a compulsory study for three students. The concert program showcased a wide spectrum of styles, illustrating the versatility of the region’s musical language and the skill of its performers.
With this breadth of expression, Asturian instruments emerged as symbols of a historic milestone. The day’s program included the first public performances of the Asturian bagpipes at the Eduardo Martínez Torner Conservatory of Music in the Principality of Asturias, marking a culmination of a long educational journey. After four years of higher education and fourteen years of formal studies, Daniel Meré — one of the principal bagpipe pioneers of the day — described the moment as the icing on the cake. The promotion also included Marco Antonio Guardado del Valle and Fabián Fernández Fernández, celebrated figures among the new graduates.
It was hailed as a historic day because it closed a chapter that began more than a quarter of a century earlier with the opening of the first traditional music schools dedicated to training bagpipers. Those roots led to regulated studies at the primary and professional levels, and now Asturias can claim the first generation of bagpipers with higher qualifications. The sentiment mirrored the broader view across Latin European regions about how chorus-like training for traditional instruments could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with architecture degrees, engineering programs, or classical violin studies. The emotional critique came from Fernando Agueria, who spoke with pride about the achievement and its meaning for the region’s musicians and culture.
The degree was established during Genaro Alonso’s tenure as Minister of Education, seen as a much-needed acknowledgment of traditional musicians in the region. Agueria emphasized that higher education for bagpipers has finally become a reality after generations of work. It was a step toward parity with other regions—Galicia, the Basque Country, and Seville—where degrees in the Interpretation-Instruments of traditional and popular music were already established. This milestone was presented not as an end but as a doorway, inviting more professionals to bring their craft to a higher plane of study and performance.
Daniel Meré Fernández, a 25-year-old from Bañugues and one of the younger graduates, spoke openly about the day’s significance. He expressed pride in being among the pioneers and suggested that the new qualification places the Asturian bagpipe on a level with other conservatory instruments. He believed the development would confer prestige on bagpipes and those who play them. Fabián Fernández, 28, from Llanera, has pursued music for two and a half decades and has spent about 22 or 23 years playing the bagpipe. This achievement marks a shift not just in credentialing but in identity, as his earlier studies in Music History and Science progress alongside the new gaita qualification.
Fernández argued that the experiences gathered during these four years of higher education prove the bagpipe is not a smaller instrument. It carries no fewer possibilities than any other instrument and can integrate seamlessly into bands, marching groups, and orchestral settings. The message to instructors and ensemble leaders was clear: the bagpipe can follow a path of professional legitimacy just as other instruments do. The sense of forward motion was palpable, with Fernández noting the early certainty that their generation was paving a way forward for current and future players.
Among the graduates, Marco Antonio Guardado del Valle, 37, from Sotobar, described the day as exceptionally moving. The experience carried emotional weight, especially because several of the graduates had previously taught him as students. The sense of culmination and ongoing potential filled the room, reinforcing the idea that this milestone is both a celebration and a catalyst for future growth.
The trio of graduates stressed the imperative for the bagpipe to keep advancing, just like any other instrument. They contended that all graduates deserve professional opportunities comparable to those afforded to other instrumentalists. They noted they have received the highest level of training, yet they still see steps ahead. Their ambition is to form official bagpipe ensembles for qualified players, envisioning possibilities such as bagpipe bands akin to the Asturian Philharmonic Orchestra, or professional orchestras where the gaita plays a central role. The dream is practical, not purely symbolic, and it marks the dawn of a more widely recognized presence for the bagpipe in formal musical life.