On January 18, a fresh edition of the Sois Music Culture Awards will be presented, an initiative by the Alicante Provincial Council and the ADDA Foundation. The event spotlights organizations and professionals who advance the province’s musical culture and strengthen its social, educational, and heritage value.
This second edition features four categories and celebrates a range of achievements. The Óscar Esplá Special Award for a distinguished musical career goes to Pere Estevan. The Jesús Mula Award recognizes a social and educational music project, highlighted by the Cox February Music Festival. The Amando Blanquer Award honors an organist for innovation, creation, and originality in music, awarded to Josep Vicen Giner Reus. The Rodríguez Albert Prize highlights efforts in disseminating, promoting, and recovering Alicante’s musical heritage, with the dolçainers group La Xafigà receiving the distinction.
The premiere will be open to attendees who confirm their participation by emailing the address provided before January 17. ADDA doors will open at 18:00 for guests and guests-to-be.
Pedro Estevan
Pedro Estevan, born in 1951, is an eclectic musician celebrated for interpreting ancient music with global reach through ensembles such as Hespèrion XXI, Le Concert des Nations, Laberintos Ingeniosos, and its variations. His involvement in contemporary music includes collaborations with Rarafonía. He wrote music for Ignacio García May’s Alesio and Cervantes’ La Gran Sultana, directed by Adolfo Marsillach. As a soloist, Estevan has performed with the Spanish National Chamber Orchestra and the Reina Sofía Orchestra. His work also spans theatre collaborations with Lluís Pasqual, Núria Espert, and Adolfo Marsillach, and he served as musical director for Lope de Vega’s El Caballero de Olmedo, directed by Lluís Pasqual.
Pedro Estevan serves as a Professor of historical percussion at the Higher School of Music of Catalonia and has an extensive discography exceeding 100 albums. His notable releases include Nocturnos y Alevosias and El aroma del Tiempo.
As a founding member of the Orchestra of the Clouds and the Madrid Percussion Group, Estevan has collaborated with major ensembles such as the Spanish National Orchestra, RTVE, the Madrid Symphony, and the Lisbon Gulbenkian Orchestra. He has also worked with Koan, Sacqueboutiers de Toulouse, Paul Winter Consort, Camerata Iberia, Ensemble Barroco de Limoges, Harp Consort, Mudéjar, and the Seville Baroque Orchestra, among others.
Cox Musical February
The Cox Musical February emerged in 1994 through the La Armónica de Cox Music Society, with backing from Cox Town Hall and participation from internationally renowned artists across the performing arts. Over more than three decades, the festival has hosted figures such as Carmen Linares, Jesus Carmona, jazz legend Pedro Iturralde, Ministers Capella, Spanish Rice, ADDA Simfònica, and the Valencian Community Orchestra.
The February National Music Performance Competition, known as Villa de Cox, marked its thirty-first edition this year. Born with a mission to support social responsibility, the contest has long provided a platform and artistic stimulus for young musicians after their professional training. Since its inception, the competition has celebrated many talented artists who showed early promise, building a continual cycle for Cox and its Musical February: a pledge to talent, culture, and musical promotion. The programming emphasizes artistic respect and ongoing evolution.
Josep Vicen Giner Reus
Josep Vicent Giner, an organist and harpsichordist with an international career, was born in Dénia in 1970. He serves as a professor at the Conservatory of Valencia Pedreguer and guides the International Organ Festival and the Dénia Clàssics Festival. He has received notable honors, including the Magister Artium from the University of Vienna, cum laude recognition, an Artistic Merit award from the Austrian Ministry of Science and Culture, and a silver medal from the Jaime I the Just Foundation in 2007.
Among his contributions is the premiere of organ-focused works, with commissions from composers such as Amando Blanquer, Gordon Lawson, and Josef Lammerz. These works have been recorded on seven CDs with the Generalitat Valenciana Choir. Giner continues to stand out as a dynamic concert pianist dedicated to expanding the organ repertoire and creating innovative programs through festivals in the La Marina region.
La Xafigà, dolçainer group
La Xafigà, the renowned dulzaina group from Muro de Alcoy, has celebrated forty years of promoting Alicante’s popular culture through self-produced multidisciplinary performances. The group has released 15 albums featuring original works by composers such as José Rafael Pascual Vilaplana, Joan Enric Canet, and José Vicent Egea. Their projects honor and elevate the sweet and enduring tradition of the dulzaina, contributing to education and professionalization through their educational efforts.
In 1996, they founded the La Xafigà Traditional Music School, an educational center that inspires young people to pursue studies at the Conservatory or to enjoy musical hobbies as future members of the group.