The Municipal Band of Music of Bilbao Explores Musical Identities in its New Season 2025-2026 Under the Title «Profiles»
A season with seventeen concerts between September and April that celebrates musical diversity as a reflection of identities, in emblematic venues such as the Euskalduna Palace, the J.C. de Arriaga Conservatory, Azkuna Zentroa, the Arriaga Theater, and the Church of Santos Juanes, with proposals ranging from contemporary symphonic music to vocal jazz and Basque creations.
The new campaign will kick off with a unique concert on September 14 at the ALFREDO KRAUS Auditorium in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in collaboration with the Gran Canaria Wind Orchestra and the Gran Canaria Band Music Federation.
After a decade leading the Band, José R. Pascual-Vilaplana concludes his tenure as Artistic Director and will serve as Principal Guest Conductor, making way for ten guest conductors, including figures like Virginia Martínez, Miguel Romea, Miguel Etchegoncelay, Martín Baeza Rubio, and the young Bilbao-born conductor Nicolás Serrano Valdizán, winner of the III International Bilbao Musika Conducting Award.
Artists like Iñaki Alberdi, Gurutze Beitia, Noa Lur, Ainara Ortega, and Sergio Carolino will bring new voices and styles to the season, which will feature three world premieres, as well as premieres at the national level of works by two contemporary composers of great relevance in band literature, such as the Chinese Chen Yi and the American Lindsay Bronnenkant.
The season program delves into different languages, genres, and styles, offering a pluralistic view of music as a reflection of the diverse identities in our society. «Profiles» encompasses seventeen events between September 2025 and April 2026, with sixteen taking place in usual and nearby venues: Euskalduna Palace (8), J.C. de Arriaga Conservatory (5), Azkuna Zentroa (1), Arriaga Theater (1), and Church of Santos Juanes (1). The opening day will be innovative, as it will take place on September 14 at the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in collaboration with the Gran Canaria Wind Orchestra and the Gran Canaria Band Music Federation.
Virginia Martínez Fernández, Miguel Romea Chicote, Martín Baeza Rubio, Carlos Garcés Fuentelsaz, Andrea Gasperin Alberto Roque, Txemi Etxebarria Urzain, Miguel Etchegoncelay, Miquel Rodrigo i Tamarit, and the young Bilbao-born Nicolás Serrano Valdizán, winner of the III International Bilbao Musika Conducting Award, will be the ten guest conductors this season. They will be joined on the podium by Assistant Conductor Iñaki Urkizu Kerejeta three times and José R. Pascual-Vilaplana four times. In the soloist realm, renowned artists like Iñaki Alberdi (accordion), Gurutze Beitia (actress), Noa Lur and Ainara Ortega (vocals), and Portuguese tubist Sergio Carolino will participate.
The Bilbao Municipal Band of Music will premiere three new works: a composition by Musikene student Juan Cubillas, a band adaptation of Federico Jusid’s «Bidaia,» and a commemorative piece for the Band’s 130th Anniversary, titled «Arenal,» composed by Gabriel Erkoreka. Additionally, there will be national premieres of works by two contemporary composers of great significance in band literature, such as the Chinese Chen Yi and the American Lindsay Bronnenkant.
The cycle in Bilbao will begin at Azkuna Zentroa – Alhóndiga Bilbao on September 19 with «Music with Roots,» conducted by Iñaki Urkizu. The Band will take the audience on a colorful journey through pieces by Marquina, Pierné, Balmages, Van McCoy, and Márquez, with Latin rhythms, Mediterranean melodies, and echoes of Arab and African folklore.
Five concerts have been scheduled at the J.C. de Arriaga Conservatory. On October 17, «Verso y llama» will mark the debut of Bilbao native Nicolás Serrano Valdizán as a guest conductor. With a vibrant repertoire including Guridi, Bert Appermont, Ida Gotkovsky, and David Rivas, this event blends Basque tradition with contemporary language. On November 28, Carlos Garcés Fuentelsaz will conduct «Raíces,» a musical journey linking universal emotions from Khachaturian’s epic to the light of Óscar Navarro. On December 12, «Perfiles del mar,» under the direction of Andrea Gasperin, will evoke marine landscapes with works by Adam Ferrero, Porrino, and Hidas. The closing concert of the X Bilbao Musika Conducting Encounter will take place on January 30, featuring Professor Alberto Roque and José R. Pascual-Vilaplana. Closing this series on March 20 will be «Contemplating the Dawn,» conducted by Miguel Etchegoncelay, with a suggestive repertoire including works by Bronnenkant, Piazzolla, Ravel, and Kosmicki.
The Arriaga Theater will host a significant event on November 16: «Lights and Legends,» conducted by Virginia Martínez Fernández. With works by Ticheli, Yagisawa, and Cesarini, the concert illuminates personal and collective mythologies through a program of great expressive richness.
The bulk of the season will take place at the Euskalduna Palace, where eight concerts will be offered. The opening concert on October 5 will be «Bidaia,» under the direction of Pascual-Vilaplana and featuring accordionist Iñaki Alberdi as a soloist. The program will include the premiere of Juan Cubillas’ «Guerras cántabras» and performances of Chen Yi’s Wind, Asins Arbó’s Mare Nostrum, and Federico Jusid’s Bidaia. On November 2, «Miscelánea,» conducted by Martín Baeza Rubio, will review great pages of the Spanish band and lyrical repertoire with nods to Wagner and Falla. On December 20, «Christmas Essences» will bring together Gurutze Beitia as narrator and Pascual-Vilaplana as conductor, in an emotional journey from Tchaikovsky to Morten Lauridsen, including Christmas classics with symphonic arrangements.
The year 2026 will begin on January 18 with «Sing American Songbook,» a journey into the heart of vocal jazz with Noa Lur and Ainara Ortega, conducted by Iñaki Urkizu. On February 15, «Sensuality and Myth,» led by Miguel Romea Chicote, will explore the sonic universe of Rimsky-Korsakov and Óscar Navarro. A week later, on February 22, Gipuzkoan Txemi Etxebarria Urzain will conduct «Corazonadas,» a program combining works by Saint-Saëns, Julie Giroux, and John Mackey, among others. Finally, on April 19, Pascual-Vilaplana will return to the podium with «Arenales de música,» a concert in collaboration with Musikene featuring tubist Sergio Carolino as a soloist and the premiere of «Arenal,» the highly anticipated work by Bilbao composer Gabriel Erkoreka. The season will close on April 26 with «In modo de satire,» a concert full of humor and rhythm conducted by guest Miquel Rodrigo i Tamarit. The program will include works by Palau, Asins Arbó, Ives, and Shostakovich, with a selection of burlesque and satirical pieces that will delight the audience.
The season also includes a spiritually charged event under the direction of Iñaki Urkizu. On March 27, at the Church of Santos Juanes at 7:00 p.m., a special Easter Music program will be presented, featuring works by Vélez, Marquina, Grieg, Melchor, and Dorado, among others, evoking contemplation, solemnity, and beauty.
«Beyond stylistic diversity, the 2025-2026 season is presented as an affirmation of the power of music to shape identities, build community, and project the future through a commitment to artistic excellence and dialogue with society,» stated the new Principal Guest Conductor of the Band, José R. Pascual-Vilaplana, after eleven years as Music Director. «For Bilbao, it is an honor to have had a professional of José Rafael’s caliber and worldwide recognition, and we are thrilled that he remains connected to our city. We are grateful for his dedication over a decade leading the band, and we are very pleased to have found a way to continue enjoying his talent and honesty,» highlighted Itziar Urtasun.
Orchestral Conducting Encounters – Bilbao Musika International Conducting Award Competition
As part of the X Orchestral Conducting Encounters, the «IV Bilbao Musika International Conducting Award Competition» has been announced, with the closing concert taking place on January 30 at the J. Crisóstomo de Arriaga Conservatory in Bilbao. José R. Pascual-Vilaplana will act as the director and coordinator of the encounters, with Alberto Roque as the invited teacher and president of the jury. Alberto Roque is a conducting professor at the Leiria Conservatory in Portugal. During the final concert of the Competition, where the Municipal Band will be conducted by the three finalists, pieces like Georges Bizet’s «L’Arlesienne Suite Nr.2,» Serge Lancen’s «Cap Kennedy,» and versions of W. Francis McBeth and Kenneth Hesketh’s «Masque» will be performed.
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