Culture announces the XXXVI Course and the XXVI International Music Competition in Benidorm

From June 30 to July 4, classical music and international prestige will return to Benidorm with the International Music Course and Competition, which are now in their thirty-sixth and twenty-sixth editions, respectively. The two events were presented this morning at a press conference by the Councillor for Culture, Jaime Jesús Pérez, and the director of the course, José Antonio Gonzaga, who announced that this year the cycle ‘Clásicos a las 9’ (Classics at 9) that began last year will also continue.

Benidorm International Music Course will be held in six instrumental specialities: saxophone, piano, oboe, violin, marimba and clarinet, taught by teachers of the level of the masters Mariano García, Ángel Sanzo, José Luis García Vegara, Miguel Colom, Conrado Moya and François Brenda.

“We have a well-established cultural programme and the International Music Course and Competition are one of the best examples” said the councillor, who also highlighted “the countless students and teachers with a long career who have participated over the years”.

Pérez also highlighted the municipal action, since “the City Council will grant 50% of the tuition to students of the three municipal bands and the conservatory and 100% to listeners, as well as conservatory teachers who opt and are chosen”. He also stressed that the competition is “constantly renewing so that every year there are new things and it is more attractive”.

In this sense, he has highlighted the cycle ‘Clásicos a las 9’ whose aim is to attract the entire public “so that they can enjoy it for free in the auditorium of the Cultural Centre”. The course is aimed at music students from all over the world who, in addition to taking classes, will be able to attend concerts performed by the most talented teachers and students scheduled daily throughout the week.

Registration is now open “and the pace is good” according to the director José Antonio Gonzaga. As in other years, a selection will be made based on the order of registration and the accredited level, taking into account that there is a maximum number of 12 places per speciality, except for the piano, which is 10 places. The capacity will set the limits for the listening modality.

As parallel activities, in this edition, there will be two conferences; one on mental health and another on physical health by two specialists. In addition, there will be two prestigious musicians who will offer two ‘masterclasses’ on two instruments: the English horn and the marimba.

The councillor has insisted that in 2025 “the course is once again betting on the best professionals to improve the teaching and professional training of students” and that “we are positioning Benidorm in music at an international level”, as 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 first class and very prestigious”, which is why he has encouraged “musicians and teachers who come to the course, not to miss the opportunity to have these teachers because the effort is very great and we must take advantage of it”.

This year's International Music Competition will have the oboe as its main instrument, which is for the first time. As a novelty, the final of the competition will be on Friday. As for the ‘Clásicos a las 9’ series, “this year we are raising the bar” said Gonzaga, who announced that the first concert will be by the pianist Carla Román, winner of the last edition of the Competition. On Tuesday, July 1, José Luis García (oboe), Miguel Ángel Rodríguez (piano), Miguel Colom (violin) and Graham Jackson (piano) will perform. On Wednesday, François Brenda (clarinet), Elena Gotsouliak (piano), Mariano García (saxophone) and Takahiro Mita (piano) will perform.

The Thursday concert will feature two world-class musicians on the marimba instrument: Katarzyna Micka and Conrado Moya. “It is very difficult, almost impossible to have these musicians together in a concert because they are among the best in the world” said Gonzaga. On Friday, to end the series, the final of the International Competition will take place.

Finally, the Councillor for Culture has encouraged people to sign up for the course and to actively enjoy music, recalling that “the course has been maintained at a very high level from the beginning, with international recognition, and that motivates teachers and students”. Those interested can obtain more information about the course and the registration on the website: https://www.cursomusicabenidorm.com.