The Department of Culture in Villena announced a robust slate of musical offerings on Tuesday to honor the 100th anniversary of the Municipal Music Group of Villena, with activities scheduled throughout July next year. The program gathers leading national bands and a range of ensembles, and Elena Benítez, the Culture Councilor, expressed gratitude to the organizers for their dedication and to the group’s director for steady leadership. The Chapi Theatre and the Moors and Christians Central Board Festivals were thanked for making spaces available to host these events.
The concert cycle begins on Friday, July 1, at the Chapi Theatre with the Madrid Symphony Band. Pedro Ángel López, director of the Villena Municipal Band, highlighted that the ensemble stands among Spain’s most prominent, featuring 90 musicians on stage and a renowned solo clarinetist performing as a featured artist.
Further celebrations in the centennial program include a July 13 appearance by the Alicante Symphony Orchestra. On July 14, the Barcelona Municipal Band will visit Villena, presenting a program that showcases its distinctive repertoire.
The lineup will be complemented by additional musical experiences. Spanish Rice will perform Live At the Patio Festero of the Central Board on July 12. On the evening of July 13, the Barcelona clarinetist Joan Vidal and Néstor Giménez will present the Black Pool Suite on this stage. A day later, audiences can enjoy the Amores Percussion Group at Sonorous Polychrome.
The sequence of concerts and performances will culminate on the building’s façade at the Chapi Theatre on July 15, with an 11:00 am gathering of the Municipal Music Group and the Music Association of the City of Assisiby. The program will feature a virtuosic Concerto for Rock Band and Orchestra by Jon Lord. The director of the Municipal Music Orchestra also announced a scheduled performance for July 9 at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento in Alicante, presented by Assisi Music Union City.
In recognition of the centennial, the Villena City Council will award the Municipal Music Band with a Golden Medal this year. The anniversary observance began with a protocol event in January 2022, and the most solemn moment is planned for September 5, marking the anniversary of the pasodoble composition. The piece, known as Login, was created by Quintín Esquembre as an anthem for Villena.
Intro is treated as Villena’s anthem. Every September 5 at 4:00 p.m., the Municipal Music Group performs Esquembre’s pasodoble, commissioned by the director and supported by his friend Francisco Bravo, written for Villena’s young Musicians of the newly formed Municipal Music Band. The piece originated in 1925 and remains a symbol of the city’s dawn, evoking pride and emotion among thousands of Villeneses who keep their annual date with the Municipal Band.