Musician Fran J. Cogollos wins the symphonic band composition competition for the centenary piece of the Benidorm Unión Musical

Carcaixent-born musician and composer Fran J. Cogollos has been crowned the winner of the Extraordinary Composition Competition for Symphonic Band of the Unión Musical de Benidorm (UNAM) (Benidorm Musical Union). The results were announced today at a press conference. Cogollos will also receive the 3,000 euro prize.

The UNAM had organised this competition to promote musical culture in general, and the band culture in particular, in celebration of the start of the organisation's centenary events. They also set themselves the goal of "expanding their musical heritage, making it easier for composers to perform, listen to, and disseminate their music, and to capture, through music, a vision of the organisation and its people, as well as the name of Benidorm, throughout Spain and abroad."

It was the president of the Unión Musical, Mari Carmen García, who announced the name of the contest winner, a 48-year-old musician who, she said, "has a very extensive resume and has already won other composition awards." García noted that when she contacted him to announce the award, "he seemed very happy and proud, and eager for us to announce it so he could say it too."

The work is titled "Caminant cap al Centenari" (Walking for the Centenary) and will premiere on December 20th at 7:00 p.m. during the Santa Cecilia concert to be held in the Cultural Centre's auditorium, according to the president of the Unión Musical.

Jaime Jesús Pérez, Councillor for Culture, expressed his gratitude for "all the actions that the UMB is carrying out to commemorate its centenary," and also had words for the collaborators, such as Caixacallosa, whose representative of the Social Work, Jorge Picón, expressed his "satisfaction" at participating in this initiative. "We will continue collaborating with the Musical Union to the best of our ability."

Francisco Juan, president of the UMB Centennial Committee, also expressed his "gratitude to the City Council for the support and willingness shown, as well as to all the collaborators." The compositions nominated for the award had to capture, according to the rules, "a musical vision or image of Benidorm, understood as historical events, traditions, monuments, illustrious figures of the city, etc.," something that, in the opinion of the jury, Fran J. Cogollos's work more than fulfilled.