Sonor Ensemble

The “Sonor Ensemble” is a chamber group formed almost entirely by members of the National Orchestra of Spain. Its components are first rate professionals with considerable experience in the fields of symphonic and chamber music. They have all performed as soloists on numerous occasions interpreting the most representative concertos for their respective instruments.

The “Sonor Ensemble” is an open, flexible instrumental ensemble, like most modern chamber groups, the number of performers depending on the requirements of the score to be interpreted, maintaining a basic representation of the various families of instruments.

A variety of composers have written or are writing works for the “Sonor Ensemble”, which reflects its commitment to the policy of first performances maintained since the outset, without neglecting the rich heritage of works composed during the last three hundred years. Its repertoire covers the traditional periods of the “Baroque”, “Classicism”, “Romanticism”, etc, but places particular emphasis on the great composers of the 20^th century and on contemporary composition. It has thus established itself as an essential vehicle for the artistic expression of today’s composers.

The presentation of this chamber group took place in an important event celebrated in the University of Alcalá on 24^th January 2005. The concert, directed by Luis Aguirre, came to a brilliant close with the first performance of Zulema de la Cruz’s “Idyll of a Knight Errant”, specially commissioned by “Sonor Ensemble”. Since then, the group has performed in numerous concerts and festivals in Spain, Bulgaria, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, China, Russia, South Korea, Italy, Argentina, France and Iceland with future engagements in various other countries. The Sonor Ensemble has recorded for the Spanish National Radio and Spanish Radio and Television and for the record label Fundación Autor several CDs of prize-winning works by contemporary Spanish composers.

Since 2007 the Sonor Ensemble collaborates with the Department of Culture of the Community of Madrid to realize important pedagogical and educational projects related to musical awareness. Thousands of young students attend every year the so-called “Trasmúsica Concerts”.

www.sonorensemble.com

Videos with Gudrún Ólafsdóttir & Sonor Ensemble

Luis Aguirre

Luis Aguirre was born in Madrid, where he studied Economics at the Autonomous University and Piano, Composition and Conducting at the Higher Royal Conservatory of Music. He continued his studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst “Mozarteum” in Salzburg and the University of Indiana (USA). He returned to Spain and after working with youth orchestras, such as the JJMM “Gaudeamus” of the Complutense University and more recently with the JONDE. He was awarded by competition the post of Assistant Conductor of the Spanish National Orchestra in 1985, when he carried out the duties of this post in collaboration with the then leading conductor Jesús López Cobos, in 1986 and 1987.

Since then, he has performed in various countries in Europe, America and Africa and has made recordings for RNE, TV5, RTVE and the Autor Foundation label. His contribution to contemporary music is backed by several premières and requests for compositions. He has conducted the Spanish premières of works by Schnittke and Lutoslawsky, as well as total premières of many other composers. With a view to promoting contemporary dissemination and creation, he founded the chamber group “Sonor Ensemble”, of which he is the leading conductor and artistic director and with which he has performed over 150 concerts including works specially requested from composers such as Zulema de la Cruz, Federico Jusid , Angel Oliver or Delfín Colomé.

As well as the Spanish National Orchestra, he has also conducted the RTVE Symphony Orchestra, the Madrid Symphony Orchestra, the New Orchestra of Boston, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Soloists of the Metropolitan of New York, the Symphony Orchestra of Santa Fé (Argentina), the Philharmonic of Jalisco (Mexico), the Portuguese National Symphony Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestras of Seville, Granada, Córdoba, the Basque Country, Bilbao, the Principality of Asturias, Castille and Leon, the Community of Madrid, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Gran Canaria, the del Vallés Symphony Orchestra, the Municipal Symphony Band of Madrid and various Chamber formations such as the Spanish Chamber Orchestra, the Reina Sofía Orchestra, the Andrés Segovia, the RTVE Wind Instrument Group and the Sartory Chamber Group, etc.

In the years 1995/96 and 1996/97, he took up position as leading conductor and artistic director of the Pablo Sarasate Orchestra, continuing his relation with this orchestra as first guest director the following year. Also linked to the “Concerto” Chamber Orchestra, he conducted this formation in Spain and in Germany.
His many activities also include several articles and conferences on music and educational concerts with very diverse orchestras.

He was a member of the Committee of Independent Experts of the European Cultural Committee and collaborates as coordinator and artistic advisor with the Ministry of Culture in selecting Spanish musicians for the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) and the Gustav Mahler Jugend Orchester.