Torrevieja composer Armando Bernabéu Lorenzo has won first prize in the choral category of the third Emili Giménez Bou International Composition Competition, organised by the Sociedad Ateneo Musical de Cullera.
The winning piece, «Ebanista de almas», is a habanera written for a four-part mixed choir and received 95 points out of 100 from the jury.
A tribute to his grandfather
The score is dedicated to the memory of Manuel Lorenzo Pérez, the composer's grandfather, who worked as a cabinetmaker and died in April 2025.
That family memory gives meaning to the composition's title, bringing his grandfather's craft and his grandson's musical creativity together in a single work.
The official presentation of awards across the competition's categories is planned for 2027, when the winning works are also scheduled to receive their premieres.
Composition and conducting
Bernabéu studied composition at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Mallorca and has built a career combining the writing of scores with musical direction.
Since 2004, various ensembles have premiered his works for soloists, instrumental groups, choirs and bands, a repertoire embracing a range of musical forces.
His previous honours include the 2008 Manuel Parada Composition Prize, awarded for «La llamada» at Torrevieja's International Habaneras and Polyphony Competition.
In 2012 he took second prize in the Villa de San Pedro processional march competition with «Lux Mundi», and he also received Global Music Awards distinctions in 2017 and 2018.
Alongside his creative activity, he has pursued a career in Spain's military music corps, which forms part of the Armed Forces' common corps.
He currently holds the rank of major and directs the music unit of the High Readiness Land Headquarters, based in Valencia.
The Cullera prize therefore adds another distinction to a career associated both with choral composition and with the direction of military ensembles.
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