The XVIII Chamber Music Competition of Arnuero reaffirms its international vocation. Fifteen groups, eight of which are based abroad, will compete for the awards in 2021.
The registration period ended last 30 April with 15 groups registered, and for the first time the number of foreign ensembles exceeds the number of national participants. Thus this year the CIMCA will include groups from Maastricht, Amsterdam, Lucerne, Antwerp, Basel or Rotterdam, and within national participation, for the first time as well, with a group from the Canary Islands and another from the Balearic Islands.
After the mandatory suspension in 2020, the organisation got to work thinking about a format that could ensure the competition could be held under restrictions caused by the pandemic. A dual format was therefore devised, online and in-person, so that the qualifying phase would not require the travel of large numbers of musicians from faraway locations, while still maintaining the intensity of the live event in the final and the opening concert. After that, work was done to improve the information materials with a new website in Spanish and English, which also offers the possibility of online registration.
Without doubt the new format proposed has been a leap in quality when it comes to enabling the participation of groups from even further away. In order to reduce international travel, with the difficulties this brings in the current situation, the qualifying phase that until now had been held in person will be carried out virtually, through the videos that the participating ensembles have had to record in similar circumstances to how they would have participated in Arnuero, and the Jury will select the finalists by means of those videos. The final phase will be held in person on 3 and 4 July 2021.
The Competition was conceived as a MEETING of young musicians, for which their stay in the municipality of Arnuero during the days of the event is promoted, and as a consequence the opportunity to exchange experiences among participants and with the Jury members. In this edition, and due to the health guarantees against Covid-19, the presence of young musicians will be limited to the finalist ensembles. However, the Organisation’s intention is to maintain this spirit of meeting among young musicians, so once the pandemic has been overcome the format will be restructured again, always without leaving behind an online preselection which has proved to be a successful proposal for opening borders and facilitating the participation of groups whose relocation is costly.
The 2021 Jury will be chaired by the composer JESÚS TORRES and made up of the panellists, the composer and also composer JOSÉ LUIS ESCRIVÁ, the violinist FERNANDO PASCUAL, the harpsichordist ADRIÀ GRÀCIA and the composer and pedagogue ÁNGEL BOTIA. Professionals of recognised standing, among whom are the composers Jesús Torres and José Luis Escrivá, who have written works commissioned by the Arnuero Music Competition that will be premiered at the opening concert. This is one of the CIMCA’s main objectives: to help promote contemporary composition, and specifically in the field of chamber music. In this way the Competition kicks off on 3 July with the absolute premiere of the works Antinous, by JESÚS TORRES, and Magia simpática, by JOSÉ LUIS ESCRIVÁ in the Church of Arnuero.
For its part, the music competition aims to function as a platform to support young performers in developing a professional career in stable chamber music ensembles. To this end, agreements have been established with various institutions such as the Centro Botín, the Festival Internacional de Santander, the Real Sociedad Menéndez Pelayo and the Conservatory Jesús de Monasterio of Santander, so that part of the awards will consist of a contract for a paid concert that will enable them to join prestigious music circuits. The intention of the Competition is to expand this type of collaboration in the future, as we are convinced that the best possible prize is to provide support at the start of a musical career.
The Great Final, in which four ensembles will take part, will take place on Sunday 4 July in a location to be determined 15 days beforehand according to the health situation, so that its holding can be guaranteed with the highest level of security for musicians, the jury and the public.
AWARDS
In line with this commitment to contemporary music, the RICARDO HONTAÑÓN award, an invaluable collaborator of our Competition, is established. It will award the best interpretation of a work composed from 1,945 onwards, with £500 and a diploma.
The first prize, endowed with €1,500, a diploma and a paid concert in the cycle Creando futuros of the Centro Botín in Santander.
The second prize, with €1,000, a diploma and a paid concert within the cycle Marcos Históricos of the Festival Internacional de Santander.
The award Jesús de Monasterio for the most outstanding violinist: Diploma and Concert, sponsored by the Real Sociedad Menéndez Pelayo, at the Casa Museo Jesús de Monasterio, located in Casar de Periedo, Cantabria.
And there will also be a special prize for the most outstanding Cantabrian ensemble: Diploma and Concert in the Semana Inusual de la Música which each year is organised by the Music Conservatory “Jesús de Monasterio” of Santander.
PARTICIPATING GROUPS
DUO 10 STRINGS, guitar and violin, from CS Valencia.
DUO BIANCA, piano and oboe, from CS Salvador Seguí of Castellón.
DUO MARÉVIA, piano and saxophone, from CS Maastrich.
DUO PROYECTO VILLALACRE, piano and violin, from Musikene, San Sebastián.
TRÍO ALKADIE, piano, clarinet and violin, from CS of Canarias.
TRÍO NACEDO, viola, violin and cello, from CS Amberes.
TRÍO SCHIFFLÄNDE, piano, violin and cello, from CS Basilea.
TRÍO STRANDMON, piano, violin and cello, from CS Maastrich.
CUARTETO ERASMUS, string quartet, from Roterdam;
QUARTET TACUBA, string quartet, from Luzern, in Switzerland.
LITORE QUARTET, saxophone quartet, from Palma de Mallorca.
OCCIDIT QUARTET, saxophone quartet, from CS Oscar Esplá of Alicante.
RHEA QUARTET, saxophone quartet, from ESM Katarina Gurska of Madrid.
SYNTHÈSE QUARTET saxophone quartets, from CS Amsterdam.
MAAT SAXOFON QUARTET, saxophone quartet, from CS Amsterdam.