The University Orchestra of Oviedo gave its first concert on 14th February 1979, under the direction of its founder Alfonso Ordieres, former concertmaster of the Asturias Symphony Orchestra. The University of Oviedo, thanks to the personal commitment of the then rector Teodoro López Cuesta, thus became the first university in Spain to have an orchestra.
The first stage of the orchestra lasted almost a decade and during this period it gave numerous concerts and participated in various courses and festivals in several Spanish cities such as Cambrils, Granada and Madrid. Among others, the concert for the King and Queen of Spain in the act of constitution of the Princess of Asturias Foundation in 1980 and the recordings made for TVE stand out.
After a long period of inactivity, the orchestra took a new impetus under the direction of Pedro Ordieres in the 2017/18 academic year and made its debut in October 2017 in Vegadeo, as part of the closing events of the Forum of Communication and School. Since then, the group has performed in Oviedo, Gijón, Luarca, La Caridad, Mieres and Candás. Highlights include the Christmas concert in the Cathedral of Oviedo and the pre-Romanesque church of San Julián de los Prados and the closing concert of the Asturias Trade Fair 2018. Furthermore, in September of the same year, the orchestra made the first recording of a soundtrack for the documentary produced by the TPA "Desde la otra Orilla" under the direction of Rubén Díez.
The orchestra, like the Choir of the University of Oviedo, is part of the activity of the Vice-rectorate of University Extension and Cultural Projection. In its new stage, it has grown to become a symphonic orchestra made up of more than 50 members belonging to the Asturian university community.
Internal regime
The orchestra rehearsals take place in the aula Magna of the School of Mining, Energy and Materials Engineering of Oviedo at Calle de la Independencia, 13, 33004 Oviedo.
The regular timetable is tutti rehearsals on Wednesdays from 18:45 to 21:30, although these times may vary slightly throughout the course to accommodate performances.
Grants to orchestra members
Each member of the orchestra who accredits their participation will receive the validation of three ECTS credits at the end of the course.
The academic institution annually announces specific tuition grants for orchestra members (students interested in finding out more information can find the latest announcement on the Intranet).
Conductors
- Pedro Ordieres (current conductor)
- Alfonso Ordieres
Pedro Ordieres
Born in Oviedo in 1979, he began his musical studies at the age of six with his father, Alfonso Ordieres. He later entered the Oviedo Conservatory of Music where he continued studying with his father, with Gaiane Pogossova and the violinist Amayak Durgarian. In 1998, at the age of 19, he obtained the title of Superior Violin Teacher with the highest qualifications and Elementary and Intermediate Grade Prizes. In 1998, he moved to London and entered the Royal College of Music as a Scholar, where he studied violin for four years with Itzhak Rashkovsky and conducting with Nell Thompson. In July 2002, he obtained the degree of Bachelor of Music with distinction (BMUS) from the Royal College of Music in London.
For his studies, he has received scholarships from the Caja de Asturias, the Principality of Asturias, the Spanish Performers' Association (AIE) and on two occasions from the then Spanish Ministry of Education and Culture.
In his orchestral training, he joined the Joven Orquesta Nacional de España (J 0 N D E) at the age of 16 and was a member of the Royal College Symphony in London, where he has worked with maestros of the stature of Bernard Haitink, Colin Davis and Lorin Maazel.
As a soloist or member of various chamber music groups, he has given concerts in numerous cities in Spain and England, has participated in various chamber music festivals such as Cuenca or Torroella de Montgrí, as well as numerous recitals in which he has formed a duo with the pianist Francisco Damián Hernández Díez, and as first violin of the "ASTUR" quartet.
As a professor, he has taught violin, orchestral repertoire and chamber music at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Asturias (CONSMUPA). He has also been invited by several youth orchestras to give courses or conduct parts with ensembles such as the Youth Orchestra of the Principality of Asturias (JOSPA), the Menéndez Pelayo University Orchestra of Santander or the Orchestra of the Kingdom of Aragon (ORA). He has also been invited to conduct the orchestras of the Junior Music Festival (FMJ'18) in Montalegre and Oporto. In June 2002, at the age of 23, he won the post of co-principal violin of the Principality of Asturias Symphony Orchestra (OSPA), which he currently holds.
Cotact details
E-mail:
dir.orquesta@uniovi.es / orquesta.universitaria.oviedo@gmail.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/orquestauniversitariaoviedo
Twitter:
https://www.twitter.com/universitariaov
Youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCufMtf3vYn-H5waZR6QwWyw
Promotional Video:
Related links
