Tenerife Composer's Two New Works Premiere in One Week
Tenerife musician Jesús Agomar will have two new compositions premiered this week, including Érase…, a fairy tale-themed piece for the Gran Canaria Community Orchestra's family concert.
In just over a week, Jesús Agomar, a musician, teacher, and composer from Tenerife, will see two of his compositions performed for the first time. Last Saturday, his symphonic poem for band, Fusión, premiered at the Teatro Cine Realejos as part of events celebrating the 70th anniversary of the union of Realejo Alto and Realejo Bajo. This Sunday, at 6:00 PM, his piece Érase… will debut at the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. This new work will open Clásicos de cuento (Fairy Tale Classics), a concert by the Gran Canaria Community Orchestra (OCGC), where Agomar plays the trombone and leads the brass section.
Agomar mentioned in an interview that the orchestra regularly features new music by Canary Islands composers. He also noted that in 2022, the OCGC premiered his piece When the stars stop shining, which was later nominated for a Hollywood Music in Media Award.
He explained that the Clásicos de cuento concert is themed around fairy tales, which inspired his composition Érase…. He chose this title for a few reasons: it's also the name of a cultural project by the Los Realejos City Council that focuses on stories and words; it signifies that his piece will open the concert; and the music itself incorporates short musical snippets that reference classic fairy tales.
Agomar elaborated that the audience will hear elements like the whale Moby Dick, the wolf from "The Three Little Pigs" attempting to blow down houses, and the song of the seven dwarfs. He described the piece as a descriptive journey through the fantasy world of traditional stories.
The Clásicos de cuento concert is designed for families. The presentation on Saturday included David Crespo, director of the OCGC; Sara Mateos from the DISA Foundation; Tilman Kuttenkeuler, director of the Auditorium and Theater Foundation of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria; and Agomar himself.
Besides Érase…, the concert program features Modest Mussorgsky's A Night on Bald Mountain, along with selections from Maurice Ravel's Mother Goose Suite, Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. Storyteller Inmaculada Mirabal will host the family-friendly event.
The concert on November 30th in Gran Canaria will showcase Agomar's premiere alongside works by Ravel, Grieg, and Tchaikovsky.
The Gran Canaria Community Orchestra, established in 2021, is made up of musicians who, after or during their musical studies, seek a platform to perform.
Agomar pointed out that many orchestra members have careers outside of music but are highly skilled performers. He stated that the orchestra's purpose is to provide these individuals with an opportunity to play.
He explained that this initiative has led to a stable ensemble of 98 musicians and a choir of 100 people. While most members are from Gran Canaria, about twenty musicians travel from Tenerife every Saturday, and others come from La Palma, La Gomera, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura.
Agomar emphasized that the orchestra is voluntary, challenging the misconception that volunteer work equates to amateurism or low quality. He stressed that despite members not being paid, he believes it is a first-class orchestra.