The composition City Moving Lights, created by Luis Javier Suria Lorenzo, has won the inaugural Oscar Esplá International Music Composition Prize. This award is organised by the Diputación de Alicante in collaboration with the Fundación Cultural La Macúla del Tiempo and the Oscar Esplá Conservatory of Music in Alicante (CSMA).
The runner-up prize was awarded to Le Tombeau d’Esplá, composed by Pedro Salinas Robles. Juan de Dios Navarro, the Diputación's Cultural Deputy, signed a collaboration agreement with Eduardo Lastres, president of the Fundación, formalising the provincial institution's support for the award.
Navarro stated that the support amounts to €4,000 and includes the provision of venues and promotion of the prize. He remarked, “The Diputación joins in commemorating the 50th anniversary of Oscar Esplá's death with a programme of activities culminating in this competition, an initiative that reinforces the institution's commitment to contemporary musical creation, cultural promotion, and the encouragement of talent both locally and internationally.”
The Fundación ASISA and Casa Mediterráneo also contributed to this award, which will hold its prize-giving gala on 12 November at the ADDA Chamber Hall at 20:00. The evening will feature performances of the winning compositions as part of a programme titled “Oscar Esplá: from tradition to modernity,” exploring the musician's work in the context of contemporary creation.
The repertoire will be performed by the Orquesta Filarmonía Ciudad de Orihuela, with piano accompaniment by Jesús María Gómez, the director of the Oscar Esplá Conservatory. The concert will also include pieces by composer Sixto Herrero and Esplá himself.
Both Jesús María Gómez and Sixto Herrero, along with composer Andrés Valero-Castells, served as judges for the 22 works submitted to this first competition, which came from Belgium, Germany, Greece, Austria, Finland, Italy, and various Spanish autonomous communities. The jury comprised esteemed professionals in interpretation, composition, and musical direction.
Lastres explained that the competition has seen significant participation from composers who trust in an initiative designed for continuity, aspiring to become a collaborative institutional project that fosters connections between composers, performers, cultural institutions, and the public, thereby enhancing the visibility of creative talent and reinforcing the presence of new music in cultural life.
Luis Javier Suria Lorenzo, originally from Rojales, has received international recognition, previously winning the first prize at the Audi Composers Competition 2025 held in Ingolstadt, Germany, for his work The song wants to be light. He has trained at various conservatories in Alicante, Murcia, and Aragón, focusing on chamber music, choral compositions, and contemporary repertoires.
Pedro Salinas Robles, a composer and conductor from Requena residing in Villajoyosa, has a distinguished career in symphonic, chamber, and band compositions, recognised with numerous international awards, including first prizes at the Corciano and Perusia Harmonica competitions. He has studied at conservatories in Spain and the Netherlands, furthering his knowledge with prominent composers, and has works selected as mandatory repertoire in prestigious music competitions.
