Walter d’Arcangelo and Gonzalo Devesa, protagonists of a new event with the XII International Organ Festival

The 12th edition of Benidorm International Organ Festival meets again this Friday with the public in the concert corresponding to April. On this occasion, the recital will be led by two musicians of great prestige in their respective specialities: the organist Walter d'Arcangelo and the oboist Gonzalo Devesa from Benidorm.

The Councilor for Culture of Benidorm City Council, Jaime Jesús Pérez, recalled that, as on previous occasions, the concert will be free, limited to capacity, and will take place from 8 p.m. in the parish church of San Jaime and Santa Ana. Likewise, the mayor has encouraged the public to participate and enjoy it, since this festival "is one of the most acclaimed nationally and internationally, for the quality of the musicians it brings together and also for that of the organ itself."

Jaime Jesús Pérez recalled that the instrument found in the church of San Jaime and Santa Ana was built in 2012 by the Federico Acitores artisan luthiers workshop in Torquemada (Palencia). It is a unique instrument with great sound possibilities that, considered 'eclectic', fuses the characteristics of these instruments from the Iberian Peninsula, Germany and France, which allows it to reach the largest amount of musical literature composed by the great masters of the Renaissance or the Baroque.

As for the musicians who will offer this concert, Walter d'Arcangelo was born in Chieti and graduated brilliantly from the 'Luisa D'Annunzio' Conservatory of Pescara in Organ and Organ Composition; Harpsichord and Composition. He is the President of the Organ Association "Adriano Fedri", whose objective is to promote the art of organ.

He has given numerous concerts throughout Europe, obtaining recognition from the public and critics. Likewise, he has received several awards and merits. In addition, he is an organist of the Cathedral of San Gustino of Chieti; he collaborates as choir director with the Associazione San Filippo Neri and is artistic director of the "Maggio Organistico Teatino" of the "Festival Organistico Internazionale di Gamberale" and of "Itinerari Organistici Abruzzesi.

For his part, Gonzalo Devesa has a Cum Laude Doctor in Art and Production from the Polytechnic University of Valencia. He has two Master's degrees in Education and Artistic Teaching; since 2018, he has been a Professor in Charge of the Oboe Chair at the Royal Conservatory of Music "Victoria Eugenia" of Granada, previously holding this same position at the Superior of Castilla-La Mancha.

He is a tutor for different Higher Studies Final Projects and co-director of Doctoral Theses.

Among his most recent publications, it is worth highlighting his reconstruction for oboe and string trio of the opera A Rare Thing by the Valencian composer Vicente Martín y Soler, by the Dos Acordes publishing house, his first recording publication recorded by the ARIA classics label (2021) and an article for the magazine of the Association of Bassoonists and Oboists of Spain (AFOES).

He has been part of the Editorial Board of the Consonancias Magazine of the Conservatorio Superior de Castilla-La Mancha and since 2021 of the Yearbook of Philosophy of Music.

As a performer he has been a member of the Dutch National Youth Orchestra, the European Union Wind Orchestra and The World Orchestra of Musical Youth. Likewise, he has been a member of groups such as the Shen Yun Symphony of New York, an orchestra with which he toured throughout the United States (Texas, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Maryland, South Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas...), playing in the main venues in the country such as the Chicago Opera House.

Subsequently, he was selected by the Orquesta do Norte de Oporto (Portugal), the Bankia Symphony Orchestra and, as an Oboe Soloist, the Cairo Symphony Orchestra (Egypt), an orchestra with which he performed concerts at the Alexandria Opera House. Likewise, he has collaborated with many bands and orchestras from all over Spain. In addition, he has been invited to different International Festivals held in Italy, Switzerland, Armenia, South Africa, Lebanon and Jordan.