Orquesta Académica de Madrid (Orchestra)

Founded: 1977 - Madrid, Spain

Orquesta Académica de Madrid (= OAM; Madrid Academic Orchestra) was born in 1997, founded by its present Principal Conductor Iñigo Pírfano, starting its performances in early 2000’s. Since then, the OAM has become established in the Spanish musical sphere as one of the most important young ensembles in the Spanish geography. Among the main goals of the Orchestra, the first one is the promotion and development of a musical sensitivity at the service of art and culture.

The OAM is constituted by members - professionals and last course music students - whose common desire is to serve music with rigour and depth, forming a staff of 65 instrumentalists with both an outstanding technical background and musical sensitivity in performance. The conductor, Iñigo Pírfano, who studied at the Salzburg’s Mozarteum, has adopted a work strategy that combines enthusiasm and the demanding requirements characteristic of Central Europe orchestras. This resolution has made OAM performances attract critic and public admiration alike.

Among the large list of performances, it is worth emphasizing the scenic performances of Falla’s Master Peter´s Puppet Show at the theatre of the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid or the massively attended concert at the Mezquita of the Cathedral in the city of Cordoba that included the performance of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s ‘Stabat Mater’. Both performances are examples of a wide and varied repertoire that ranges from the Baroque, the Classicism - with an special interest in the music by Haydn and Mozart -, the Romanticism, to Modern and Contemporary Music.

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Ensemble (Chamber music)

The OAM has developed a section on Chamber Music through its Ensemble. This has been a project established from the origins of the orchestra due to several reasons. First of all, chamber music permits to obtain greater flexibility and better orchestral sound. Secondly, it benefits professionals devoted to this musical form as they work in smaller groups. And last, but not least, chamber music is raising great interest on the part of audiences.

The Ensemble of the OAM, formed by the most outstanding instrumentalists of the orchestra, has recently been presented in a tour around some Spanish cities, offering chamber programmes of enormous interest for all kinds of public. Moreover, the reduced costs have allowed the orchestra to attempt a variety of low-budget productions, extending the possibilities of collaboration in charitable kinds of concerts, festivals or tours.

The reduced size of the Ensemble also has a clear advantage concerning space of performance. The chamber programmes are thought –and often composed- to be executed in cloisters, small rooms or even outdoors, not needed generally the conditions of a concert hall.

Source: Orquesta Académica de Madrid Website
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (January 2014)

Iñigo Pírfano: Short Biography | Orquesta Académica de Madrid | Recordings of Vocal Works

Links to other Sites

Orquesta Académica de Madrid (Official Website) [Spanish/English]

Madrid Academic Orchestra (Wikipedia)