CUENCA YOUTH ORCHESTRA (Spain)
Conductor: Manuel Murgui
Programme:
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), arr. M. Murgui, Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068
II. Air
Antonin Dvořak (1841–1904), arr. M. Murgui, Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95 “From the New World”
I. Adagio. Allegro molto
IV. Allegro con fuoco
Edvard Grieg (1843–1907), Holberg suite, Op. 40, Arr. Joshua Choe
Conductor: Pablo Martínez Valiente
I. Preludio
V. Rigodon
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921), Bacchanale from the opera Samson and Delilah
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975), Suite for Variety Orchestra, Waltz No. 2
Conductor: Diego Guijarro Muñoz
Various composers, arr. M. Murgui, Anthology of Zarazuela
The Cuenca Youth Orchestra is a musical ensemble of young people aged between 11 and 30, created by a group of students in 1991 to train and prepare its young musicians for the rigours of professional touring as well as to promote classical music. The majority of its members come from the “Pedro Aranaz” Professional Conservatory and the “Ismael Martínez” Municipal School in Cuenca. Many stand out for their virtuosity, having won awards and honors at regional and national competitions.
As befits a student orchestra, the corpus is in a constant state of evolution. Over the years, it has worked ceaslessly to bring classical music to various cities and towns in Cuenca and Castilla-La Mancha. In April 2013, it attended the HIYF, Harrogate International Festival in the United Kingdom, performing at the Edwardian Royal Hall in Harrogate, Ripon Cathedral, etc. During the summer of 2014, it participated in the Florentine Festival of Youth Orchestras. In September 2018, it performed at the IX International Festival of Choirs and Orchestras in Prague, representing Spain. In July 2019, it traveled to Krakow, Poland, where it gave a concert in the Square of Saint Mary Magdalene. Finally, during the years 2020/21, despite the pandemic, the orchestra has not lost its enthusiasm and has continued working hard, as demonstrated by its participation in Alejandro Sanz’s documentary “The World Outside,” a compilation of videos from 38 countries recorded during the lockdown. It also continued to perform concerts, albeit fewer and with smaller audiences due to the pandemic restrictions. After this difficult period, this year 2022, the Cuenca Youth Orchestra has resumed its concerts throughout the province of Cuenca, offering a dozen performances and participating again in July in the XXIII Florentine Festival of Youth Orchestras.
In collaboration with:
