Culture announces the XXXV Course and the XXV Benidorm International Music Competition

From June 30 to July 5, classical music and international prestige will return to Benidorm with the International Music Course and Competition, which this time reach their thirty-fifth and twenty-fifth editions, respectively. Both appointments were presented this morning at a press conference by the Councilor for Culture, Jaime Jesús Pérez, and the director of the course, José Antonio Gonzaga.

Benidorm International Music Course will be developed in six instrumental specialities: cello, saxophone, piano, oboe, violin and marimba by teachers of the level of teachers Michal Dmochowski, José Luis García, Mariano García, Savva Fatkulin, Angel Sanzo and Conrado Moya, who will be accompanied by repertoire pianists Graham Jackson (cello), Miguel Ángel Rodríguez (oboe), Takahiro Mita (saxophone) and Elizaveta Yaroshinskaia (violin).

The course is aimed at music students from all over the world who, in addition to receiving classes, will be able to attend concerts performed by the most gifted teachers and students that are scheduled daily throughout the week. The public can access these recitals. This year, as the Councilor for Culture Jaime Jesús Pérez has highlighted, "We once again have the rooms of 'José Pérez Barceló' MusicSchool and the Auditorium of the Cultural Center."

Students will receive a minimum of individual classes depending on the instrument, in addition to group classes. They will be able to take part in the concerts that will take place between June 30 and July 5 at the Cultural Center. Likewise, active students and listeners will be able to enjoy free of charge the parallel activities organized in the Course such as exhibitions and specific workshops.

The students, explained the course director, “will be able to register until April 30 in its two modalities: active and unregistered.” The registration fee for active students is 200 euros and 50 euros for unregistered. For the first, Gonzaga has pointed out, “a selection will be made based on the order of registration and the accredited level” given that there is a maximum number of 12 places per speciality, except in piano, which is 10 places. The capacity will set the limits for the listening modality.

Jaime Jesús Pérez, for his part, has also highlighted the municipal action, since "the City Council will provide a scholarship with 50% of the tuition to the active students of the three municipal bands and the selected conservatory and with 100% to the listeners, as well as conservatory professors who opt and are accepted as active.”

This year the Course and the International Competition have a new website that contains a schedule of all the steps and phases, which will conclude on May 31 with the publication of the students admitted in each modality. In that sense, the mayor has emphasized the effort made by his department "to modernize the course tools, such as a new website and new channels to reach a greater number of students."

The councillor has insisted that in 2024 "the course once again relies on the best professionals to improve the teaching and professional training of the students" and that "we position Benidorm in music at an international level" since the recognition of the teachers and the course is always “of the highest level”. José Antonio Gonzaga, for his part, wanted to highlight “the effort that the teachers make to come because they are top level and prestigious”, that is why he has encouraged “musicians and teachers to come to the course, and "do not miss this opportunity because the effort is very great and we must take advantage of it."

25th International Music Competition

This year's International Music Competition will have the piano as the main instrument. Students admitted to the International Music Course in the active modality can participate in it and will compete for three prizes. The first, 'Benidorm City Hall', is endowed with 1,000 euros and the opening concert of the 'Classics at 9' cycle of the 2025 edition. The second prize, 'Servigroup', will consist of free accommodation and food in the 2025 edition and the third prize, 'Benidorm International Music Course', will offer its winner free course registration in 2025.

News in the 2024 edition

The director of the contest has highlighted as new this year the oboe speciality with Professor José Luis García Vegara, as well as "highlighting the commitment to the mental health of musicians, for which a conference on stage anxiety has been organized by the renowned artist psychologist, Guillermo Dalia.” An activity, he has said, that will continue in the next editions. However, he specified, the conference “is open to the general public.”

On the other hand, the first edition of 'Classics at 9' has also been scheduled, a commitment by the Department with performers of recognized prestige at the European level and free entry. These concerts will be held in the Cultural Center auditorium every day of the course at 9 p.m. Within this cycle, the final of the Music Competition will take place on Wednesday.

The Councilor for Culture encouraged people to enrol in the course and enjoy music, remembering that “the course is a very high level, with international recognition, and that motivates teachers and students". Those interested can obtain more information about the details of the course and registration on the website https://www.cursomusicabenidorm.org