David Rivas wins the V International Composition Competition for Symphonic Band ‘Estepona, Garden of the Costa del Sol’.

Eighteen musicians of outstanding national and international prestige have competed in the competition, which is endowed with 10,000 euros.

The winner has until September 18, 2026 to finish his work inspired by Estepona.

The Estepona City Council informs that the composer and conductor David Rivas (Toro, Zamora), has won the V Composition Contest for Symphonic Band ‘Estepona, Garden of the Costa del Sol’, endowed with a prize of 10,000 euros.

This contest, organized by the City Council, aims to motivate composers to create symphonic works for band repertoire, inspired by the city of Estepona. A total of eighteen composers of recognized national and international prestige have competed in this edition.

The jury of this edition, chaired by the councilor attached to the municipal delegation of Culture, Macarena Diánez, has been formed by the band and orchestra conductor, composer and pianist Fernando Ferrer Martínez ‘Ferrer Ferran’; Óscar Navarro González, conductor, clarinetist, composer and music educator, nominated for the Goya Award for Best Original Music (La Mula, 2013); and José María Moreno Valiente, chief conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Malaga.

These high-level and internationally renowned professionals have been in charge of choosing the composer with the best curriculum and catalog, whose musical composition project reflects his vision of the city and the values of the contest. To do this, they have taken into account criteria such as the composer’s career, his musical catalog, his experience and his dedication to the creation of music for ‘Symphonic Band’ or ‘Wind and Percussion Orchestra’.

The project presented by David Rivas is a descriptive suite in three movements (natural environment; light and urban landscape; and cultural and musical life), and is entitled ‘Estepona, garden of light’. The title suggests a luminous and lively city, where landscape, architecture and daily life coexist in balance.

As established in the rules, the winning composer of the contest must deliver his finished composition, written and laid out, both the conductor’s score and the corresponding parts of each musician, before September 18, 2026. Once the work has been reviewed by the specialized commission, it will be premiered and the prize will be publicly awarded to the winning composer. The work will be performed by the Municipal Band of Estepona, under the direction of its author, on November 20, at the Teatro Auditorio Felipe VI, coinciding with the special concert in honor of St. Cecilia.

The Consistory convened the first edition of this contest to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Municipal Band (1940-2020). The winning works of the four contests held are: ‘Estepona, Jardín del Mediterráneo (Astabuna)’, by the composer from Jaén Álvaro López Cámara; ‘Estepona, el Jardín del Mundo’, by the Valencian composer Fernando Ferrer Martínez, artistically known as Ferrer Ferran; the Suite Continua for Symphonic Band ‘Impresiones de Estepona’ by the Dutch conductor and composer Christiaan Janssen; and the Sinfonietta for Wind and Percussion Orchestra ‘Estepona, la Ciudad de las Flores’, by the Valencian composer and conductor Hugo Chinesta. All of them are already part of the archive of the department of the Municipal Band of Estepona.

David Rivas Domínguez was born in Toro (Zamora) in 1980. He graduated in History of Art and in History and Science of Music at the University of Salamanca.

He has been a secondary school teacher specializing in music in Castilla y León by competitive examination since 2006. His catalog exceeds 450 compositions, some of which have won numerous composition awards in our country. David’s music has been premiered in countless national theaters and auditoriums, and has been performed in countries such as Argentina, Mexico, Portugal, Peru, Greece, Bolivia, Slovenia, Italy, France, Holland, Cuba, England, Hungary, Costa Rica, Germany, Brazil, Russia, Norway, Japan, USA, Belgium, Venezuela, Uruguay, Taiwan, Panama, Ecuador, Canada, Bulgaria and Dominican Republic.

In recent years, some of his works have been chosen as required pieces in band competitions as important as the international ones of Valencia, Galicia, Benavente, the national ones of Cullera and Murcia, and the provincial one of Castellón. Rivas has conducted his creations in countless theaters and national auditoriums, as well as in countries like Greece, Portugal, Italy or Argentina, and his music has been collected in more than 25 recordings, highlighting the four of his own production recorded with the Municipal Band of Bilbao, the Musical Union of Pozuelo, the Banda Primitiva de Llíria and the Bands of Veguellina de Órbigo and JJMM de León, along with the teachers José Rafael Pascual-Vilaplana, Carlos Herrero, Javier Enguídanos and Luis Longoria respectively.

David has to his credit eight composition awards in our country, in addition to having several awards from the U.S. thanks to his music for band:

– ‘My New Friend’: second prize in the 2016 Young Band competition organized by the TMJ of Valencia.

– ‘Manuela Calzada’: first prize in the 2016 international pasodoble contest of Benimaclet in Valencia.

– ‘Llanto por Cristo Muerto’: first prize in 2017 at the National Contest of funeral marches of San Pedro del Pinatar (Murcia).

– ‘Fiesta en Jalance’: audience and musicians’ awards at the Jalance (Valencia) Pasodobles Competition in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Unión Musical de Jalance.

– Saragüell’: finalist in the 18th Composition Contest of Fallas pasodobles of Alzira (Valencia).

– Memoria da Gallaecia’: first prize at the XI Concurso de Composición de la Federación Gallega de Bandas de Música in the 3rd Category.

– Genio y figura’: finalist in the III Concurso de pasodobles falleros de Xátiva (Valencia).

Within his international track record, he has three silver medals and two bronze medals from the Global Music Awards based in San Diego (California), two first prizes at the Akademia Awards in Los Angeles, a LIT Talent Award from New York, a Jerry Goldsmith Award and a special award from the Akademia Music Awards for his musical legacy.

Rivas is a member of the Latin Grammy Academy, also a member of the Spanish Academy of Music, and has held the Fundación Científica Caja Rural Award in the Excellence in Culture category since 2017. He also holds the ‘Bombardino de las Capas Pardas’ of Zamora since 2024, and has received the ‘Barandales de Honor’ awarded by the Junta Prosemanasanta de Zamora in 2026.

He currently combines his teaching and compositional work with travel as a conductor, jury or guest composer throughout the national geography.