Lumina Ensemble is the project of four saxophonists
passionate about their instrument and contemporary music, who belong
to two generations and who join efforts to achieve
high-level musical performances.
Lumina refers to the light that continuously permeates
our land. Light that determines our open and
tolerant character, and that proposes the union of people who converge in a
common project. Light as an analogy of our way of understanding
musical performance in its infinite forms, with proposals
committed to contemporary music. Essential therefore to achieve
this goal, is the collaboration with composers and the premiere of works
written or transcribed for this group.
This concert serves to present Lumina to the
public, although it should be noted that its members
have significant artistic and professional experience that has
led them to perform in numerous concert halls, festivals and concert
series.
Lumina Ensemble is a flexible group that is based on
saxophonists Pablo de la Fuente, Javier Carrillos, Isaac Verdú
and José A. Suay. In this event it also includes
Óscar Martí (percussion) and Mercedes Lozano (organ).
Jesús Torres: (1965 - Zaragoza). He completed his academic training at the Royal Superior Conservatory of Music in Madrid.
In parallel, he takes various courses in Musical Analysis with
Luis de Pablo. Between 1986 and 1988 he studies composition with Francisco Guerrero. He has been awarded various prizes: SGAE (Madrid 1992), Gaudeamus Prize (Amsterdam 1995), Valentino Bucchi (Rome 1997), Queen Sofía (Barcelona 1999), Millennium Chamber Players (Chicago 2008) and the National Music Prize 2012. He was appointed resident composer of the CNDM (National Center for Musical Dissemination) for the 2017/2018 Season. Since the 2019/2020 Season he was appointed resident composer of the Zaragoza City Symphony Orchestra.
His first opera, Tránsito, based on the homonymous play by
Max Aub, premiered in May 2021 at the Naves del Español
in Madrid, commissioned by the Royal Theater, in co-production with the Spanish
Theater. His catalog consists of more than 130 compositions, with
orchestral and chamber pieces of very different
instrumental formations. His music has been performed in festivals and
This project was born with the aim of establishing a connection between contemporary composers dedicated to creating avant-garde art and the public interested in it. Contemporary art faces various challenges—undoubtedly numerous ones—with one of the most recurring being the lack of "understanding" with which the potential audience for contemporary art justifies their disinterest in artistic manifestations.Contemporary music is not exempt from all these conditions and, at the same time, it is not immune to possible solutions that help normalize current repertoire in the demands of music lovers and integrate it into the cultural programming of cities and concert halls.Undoubtedly, when a creator speaks about their work with the passion of the creative act and delves not only into their creative processes but also into their motivations and expressive needs, a greater connection with the public is achieved and the path toward acceptance of the work is cleared. It is the project of four saxophonists passionate about their instrument and contemporary music. The members of LUMINA Ensemble combine their efforts for the respectful and committed achievement of high-level musical performances. Lumina refers to the light that continuously permeates our land and shapes us as human beings. Light as a means of union between people who converge in a common project and as a metaphor for our way of understanding musical performance, with proposals through contemporary music.The ensemble's main objective is the dissemination of repertoire composed from the 21st century onwards. Essential to achieving this goal is collaboration with composers and the premiere of works written for this group, proposing the saxophone quartet as a unique instrument full of timbral and expressive resources at the service of new creation.Lumina's infinite curiosity about performative action has led them to perform in various concert halls, festivals and concert series both in Spain and in other countries in our region such as the ENSEMS festival (Valencia), the Contemporary Festival of Alicante (ADDA), Kuraia Festival (Bilbao), Contemporary Music Festival (Córdoba), Mostra Sonora (Sueca), International Organ Festival – FIOB (Benidorm), Concerts d´Advent (Alcoi) or their recent participation in the Organistic Festival of Salento (Lecce – Italy), Festival Due Mare (Gallipoli – Italy). They have a first recording titled Terra Lucis, and have participated in Mexican composer Samuel Cedillo's album for the Kairós record label.Lumina Ensemble is the dedicatee of numerous pieces by renowned authors such as Jesús Torres, Zulema de la Cruz, Eneko Vadillo, Sonia Megías, Oliva Carrión-Arteta, José del Valle, Iluminada Pérez, Ximo Cano, David Leal, Sara Blanco, José Vicente Fuentes Castilla, Diana P. Custodio, M. Eugenia Luc or Voro García.Lumina Ensemble is composed of: Pablo de la Fuente (soprano saxophone), Javier Carrillos (alto saxophone), Pablo Pardo (tenor saxophone) and José Antonio Suay (baritone saxophone).
