Founded in 1987 by Carles Magraner, Capella de Ministrers is a Spanish ensemble dedicated to the research and dissemination of historical music, spanning from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Their work combines musicological rigor with sensitive and passionate interpretation, making them a benchmark in early music.
Throughout its career, the ensemble has performed in prestigious Spanish venues such as the Auditorio Nacional and the Palau de la Música in Valencia, and has participated in festivals like the Granada International Festival of Music and Dance and the Peñíscola Early and Baroque Music Festival. Its international presence is significant, with performances in countries such as France, Italy, Germany, the USA, China, and Morocco, appearing in iconic spaces like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Leipzig Bachfest.
Capella de Ministrers has an extensive discography under labels such as Auvidis and CDM, the group’s own label. They have received multiple awards, including the International Classical Music Award (ICMA) in 2018 and 2023, the Carles Santos Valencian Music Award, and the Medal of Honor from the Consell Valencià de Cultura in 2023.
In addition to its work in concerts and recordings, the ensemble has ventured into the performing arts, collaborating with renowned directors, choreographers, and musicians. Capella de Ministrers remains committed to the recovery and dissemination of musical heritage, consolidating its position as one of the most prestigious ensembles in its field.
Detailed biography
Since its creation in 1987, the group Capella de Ministrers, under the direction of Carles Magraner, has carried out a vital research and musicological task in favor of Spanish musical heritage, from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. The result, transformed into musical testimony, perfectly combines three key factors: historical rigor, musical sensitivity, and, most notably, an irrepressible desire to communicate and share these experiences. The group’s concert activity has been intense since its inception, performing in Spain’s finest concert halls: Auditorio Nacional de España, Palau de la Música de Valencia, Palau de la Música Catalana, Auditorio de León, Teatro de La Maestranza, El Escorial, Centro Conde Duque, Auditorio de Castellón, Teatro Cervantes, among others. Likewise, it has participated in numerous festivals, including the Barcelona Early Music Festival, Madrid Cultural 1992 (with the recovery of the opera Los elementos by Antonio Literes), Almagro Classical Theater Festival, Peñíscola Early and Baroque Music Festival, Peralada Festival, Quincena Musical Donostiarra, Los Veranos de la Villa (Madrid), Festival Grec (Barcelona), Granada International Festival of Music and Dance, Cuenca Religious Music Festival, Serenates a la Universitat (Valencia), Festival Are More (Vigo), and the Elche Medieval Festival.
Its projection is also international. It has toured and participated in festivals in countries such as France, Belgium, Romania, Portugal, the Netherlands, Egypt, Italy, Germany, Morocco, England, Poland, Tunisia, Chile, Greece, Argentina, Brazil, USA, Mexico, Finland, Austria, Cuba, Croatia, China, Algeria, Sweden, Norway, India, Colombia, Taiwan, etc. Performances have taken place in venues such as the Metropolitan Museum and the Hispanic Society in New York, the Leipzig Bachfest, EuropaMusicale in Munich, the Fez Festival, Festival de Morelia, Prague Early Music Festival, Seviqc Brezice Ljubljana, Stockholm Early Music Festival, Banchetto Musicale Early Music Festival Lithuania, and Forum Alte Musik Zürich.
In May 2008, the ensemble performed at the inauguration of the Casa de la Lengua Española in Rhodes, presided over by H.M. Queen Sofía during an official visit. That same year, the group participated in the official tribute to King Jaume I at the Monastery of Poblet, celebrating the 800th anniversary of his birth.
This trajectory of study and recovery of early music is documented in a discography recorded for EGT, Blau, Auvidis, and CDM, the exclusive label of Capella de Ministrers. It has received excellent reviews from the specialized press, as well as awards such as Best Recording Production from the Ministry of Culture, the “Premio Importante” from Prensa Valenciana, the 2008 Civic Award of Almussafes-Ribera Baixa, the 2017 Plaça del Llibre Diffusion Award, the Bankia Award for Professional Valencian Musical Training, and the quality seal from GVA Mediterranew Musix. The ensemble is a two-time winner of the International Classical Music Award (ICMA) in the Early Music category for the albums Quattrocento (2018) and El collar de la paloma (2023), and was a finalist for Super Lamentationes in 2021. Other honors include the 2018 Carles Santos Valencian Music Award for best heritage recovery album (and finalist in 2019 and 2020), the Menkes Award from Sala Russafa for best dance show in 2020 for A Circle in the Water, the Press Award for best Spanish early music ensemble in 2022, and the Medal of Honor from the Consell Valencià de Cultura in 2023. Capella de Ministrers is a member of the Spanish Early Music Groups Association (GEMA).
Its activity has extended beyond the strictly musical, with ventures into the performing arts in collaboration with directors such as Àlex Rigola, Juli Leal, Vicent Genovés, Jaume Martorell, and Bigas Luna; choreographers like Santiago Sempere; the Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana; and musicians from other disciplines like Joan Enric Lluna or Miguel Marín, as well as renowned contemporary artists such as Isabel Muñoz, Eva Lootz, or Carmen Calvo. It has recovered the staged version of the unpublished zarzuela La madrileña by Vicente Martín y Soler, the first Spanish Sacred Oratorio, and a historical approach to the interpretation of the drama for the Festival of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Elche (Misteri d’Elx).
Its music for the Cant de la Sibil·la is part of the soundtrack for Bigas Luna’s film Son de mar. This work marked the beginning of a professional relationship with the Catalan director, who in 2003 requested Capella’s participation in the adaptation of Valle-Inclán’s Comedias bárbaras for the closing of the II Valencia Biennial. The music from the CD A Circle in the Water is part of the soundtrack for the film El cercle en l’aigua, directed by Vicent Monsonís. Institutional support from the Institut Valencià de Cultura (Generalitat Valenciana) and INAEM (Ministry of Culture) enables its recording and concert activities today. The Universitat de València also sponsors the research and recovery activities carried out by Capella de Ministrers.
.
