The Orquestra Filharmònica de la Universitat de València, conducted by Beatriz Fernández Aucejo, begins on Sunday 27th, a new spring tour on three Valencian towns with the aim of reconnecting with the territory after the pandemic and revitalising the passion for music among the people. The first performance will be in the Church of Santa María de Oliva (6:30 p.m.) and tickets can be purchased at the church itself in the form of a donation.
The tour will be completed on 15th and 19th May, at the TAC Teatre Auditori in Catarroja (tickets available here) and at the Teatro Echegaray in Ontinyent (tickets avalible in box office), respectively. Both concerts will start at 7 p.m.
Under the expert direction of the Valencian Beatriz Fernández Aucejo, recently awarded in the international competition for female conductors 'La Maestra' in Paris, the young musicians of the Orchestra of the UV will tackle a demanding repertoire with great musical and interpretative quality with the aim of disseminating the European musical heritage through composers such as Weber, Borodin and Smetana.
Thus, the tour programme, staged on the 13th in the Auditorio de Zaragoza, is presented in two parts, each lasting just over 20 minutes. The first will start with 'Oberon', 'Opening' by Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826), followed by 'The Vltava' by Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884), which will give way to the second part, dedicated exclusively to 'Symphony No. 2 in B minor' by Alexander Borodin (1833-1887).
The Philarmonic Orchestra of the Universitat de València
The Philarmonic Orchestra of the Universitat de València was created in 1995. It has a staff of 80 young musicians, mostly university students, and its average age is 20 years old. Its aim is to provide its members with high quality training in orchestral performance, with specialised teachers for each of the instrumental families. From its foundation until 2010 it was directed by Cristóbal Soler, from 2011 until August 2018 by Hilari García, and since September 2018, Beatriz Fernández Aucejo is its principal conductor.
The Orchestra performs regularly at the Palau de la Música de València and has given numerous concerts in various concert halls in Spain and Europe, such as the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, the Auditorio de Zaragoza, the Auditori de Barcelona, the Auditorio de León, the Academia Philharmonicorum in Ljubljana, the Austria Center in Vienna and the Mozarteum in Salzburg, among others. In 1998 he took part in the 27th edition of the International Competition for Young Orchestras in Austria, winning first prize in the category of symphony orchestras.
Thanks to its impetus, the SINERGIA Network of Spanish University Orchestras was created in 2015, of which it is a member, as well as the European Network of University Orchestras (ENUO). Since September 2020, it has participated as a partner in the Erasmus+ Meets (Music in Higher Education to Develop Transversal Skills) project.
Its activities are sponsored by the Musical Activities Area of the Fundació General de la Universitat de València.
Beatriz Fernández Aucejo, conductor
Born in Paiporta (Valencia), she holds a degree in Music Teaching from the Universitat de València, a degree in Clarinet from the Conservatorio Superior de Música "Joaquín Rodrigo" in Valencia, a professional degree in Piano from the Conservatorio Profesional de Música de Torrent, a degree in Wind Orchestra Conducting from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (United Kingdom) and a degree in Orchestra Conducting from the Conservatorio Superior de Música "Manuel Massotti Littel" in Murcia.
She has conducted several national and international orchestras, including the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss am Rhein, Orquesta de la Comunitat Valenciana, Orquesta de València, Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona y Nacional de Catalunya OBC, Mendelssohn Symphonia Orchestra and EuropaChorAkkademie, Orquesta del Festival Internacional de Música de Cancún, Orquesta Sinfónica Juventudes Musicales de Calahorra, Orchestra del Conservatorio Cherubini di Firenze, Orquesta de la FSMCV, Joven Orquesta de la Valencian government, Joven Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia and Orquesta del Conservatorio Superior "Massotti Littel" de Murcia, among others.
She has been assistant conductor together with maestros Cristóbal Soler and Manuel Galduf in the Youth Orchestra of the FSMCV, Orquestra Filharmònica de la Universitat de València and Jove Orquestra de la Valencian government, and has been principal conductor of the Orchestra of the Unió Musical de Llíria and Orquesta Ateneo Musical del Puerto de València where she holds the honorary conductor position.
In her professional career she has been invited to conduct symphonic groups such as the Republic Korean Navy Band, Banda Sinfónica Municipal de Madrid, Banda Municipal de Barcelona, Banda Municipal de Santiago de Compostela and Banda Municipal de Palma de Mallorca, among others.
She has been titular conductor of the Sociedad Musical La Lira de Vilafamés (Castellón), Asociación Cultural Allegro de València, Sociedad Musical "L'Artesana" de Catarroja and Unión Musical de Carlet, with which she has been awarded four "Mentions of Honour" in the different competitions in which she has participated.
She is also the first woman to hold this position and sub-conductor of the Municipal Band of Barcelona between 2017 and 2019, and the first woman to hold this position during 2015.
In the field of Orchestral Conducting, she studied with masters such as Cristóbal Soler, José Miguel Rodilla, Ferrer Ferran, Ernesto Izquierdo, Manuel Galduf, Jose María Cervera Collado, Bruno Aprea, Peter Gülke, Yaron Traub, Joshard Daus, George Pehlivanian, Rodolfo Saglimbeni and Michael Tabachnick at the Academia Chigiana (Siena), among others. She is currently studying with Arturo Tamayo at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano (Switzerland).
She has also been appointed as a member of the tribunal in different editions of the Provincial Music Band Competitions of Valencia, Alicante and Castellón, the Valencian Community Competition, the Catarroja National Competition, the Colombia-Paipa National Competition, the Bankia Orchestra Competition of the Valencian Community, the Jeju International Festival (South Korea), among others, Jeju International Festival (South Korea), among others, having received several awards for his professionalism, such as the Isabel Ferrer Prize from the Valencian government, the Una de Primera Award from the Federación de Fallas de la Ciudad de València or the Prize for Equality from the Periódico Aquí de la Comarca de L'Horta Sud.
In addition to these awards, she received recognition this month in Paris following her participation in the international competition for female conductors 'La Maestra', which in its second edition has for the first time awarded a Spanish conductor, who was also recognised with the ARTE Prize.
Beatriz Fernández is currently the principal conductor of the Societat Musical "Lira Castellonera" as well as the principal conductor of the Orquestra Filharmònica de la Universitat de València.
