RAFAEL MULLOR GRAU
He was born in Alcoy in 1962. He began his official studies at the Alcoy Municipal School of Fine Arts in 1977, joining the following year as a teacher at said center. Later he studied at the Superior Conservatories of Alicante, Valencia, and at the University of Alicante. He has a degree in Harmony, Counterpoint, Fugue, Composition and Instrumentation, Choral Direction, and Orchestra Direction. He is also qualified in Piano, Viola, Clarinet, Musical Language, Transposition and Accompaniment. Some of his teachers have been: Amando Blanquer, Eduardo Cifre and Manuel Galduf.
He has been a member of the Banda Unió Musical de Alcoy from 1970 to 1985, where he was solo clarinet, and until 1991 as its director. He was part of the Great Youth Band of the province of Alicante in 1975 and 1977. As a violist he was part of the Alcoiana Symphony Orchestra, Sant Vicent Orchestra, Ciutat d'Elx Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of the Unió Musical de Lliria and of the Orquesta del Conservatori d'Alacant. As a Director he began at the age of 16 in the Coral Polifònica Alcoiana, and later in the Choirs of La Vilajoiosa, Vallada and Valencia. He has been regular Director of the Bands; Musical Union of Gorga, Alcoi, Enguera, La Vilajoiosa, Montesa and Rótova. As a guest he has conducted 44 bands such as: Lira Carcaixentia, Nova de Xàtiva, Orquestra de Vents Filarmonía, Altea, Muro, Xixona, Unió Artística i Agrupació Musical d'Ontinyent, Bocairent, Municipal de Villena y de Elx, Elda, Primitiva i Nova d'Alcoi, Unió Musical and Ateneu de Cocentaina, etc., also to Choirs and Orchestras such as: Alcoiana Symphony, Valencia and Xativa Conservatori, and Cambra d’Andorra.
In 1982, invited by José María Ferrero and the UNDEF, he led a group of 6 bands (400 musicians) at the Alicante Bullring, performing his Moorish march “Un Moro Mudéjar”, the winning work of the Alcoy Contest in 1981. He was invited to direct the 24 participating bands in the 1998 Pròleg de les Festes d'Ontinyent and in 2002 he directed the 24 participating bands in the Pròleg de les Festes d'Alcoi.
He has entered 8 composition contests, obtaining 2 second and 6 first prizes. His music has been performed throughout the National territory as well as by the Municipal Bands of Madrid, Tenerife, Mallorca, Alicante, also by La Artística de Bunyol and by most of the Bands of the Valencian Community; and internationally, in some countries such as: Argentina, Cuba, Costa Rica, Holland, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Norway, and in Chicago and New York (United States). He has numerous compositions for Band registered in the Sgae and four works for Symphony Orchestra. In 2000 he composed the obligatory work for the Elda Band Contest (Alcazar de Elda).
Two of his works (Al Primer Tró and Danza Colorista) are chosen by the most important directors in Europe to be included in the 4 Winds vol.2 Catalog for distribution throughout Europe and the United States. His works are published by Omnes Bands and Piles publishers.
As director, he has recorded two Música Festera albums with the Unió Musical de Alcoi; Ja Baixen vol 7 and 10. His works have been recorded on countless CDs by a varied group of Bands. In the year 2003 and in charge of the Orquestra de Vents Filarmonia, a group of professionals directed by his friend José Rafael Pascual-Vilaplana, edited a monograph on CD of his work. In 2004 his work “Alcoi, Escata i Destral” was published by the Bunyol Artistic Band, directed by Henrie Adams.
In 2005 he was nominated for the second consecutive time for the Euterpe Composition Awards and won them. In 2006, his work "Heroicum" was a required work for the First Section of the Valencian Community Band Contest.
He has been part of most of the juries of the Band Contests and Composition Contests. He has also been President of the International Contest "Young Interprets" of Xativa.
Since 2004 he is a full member of the Valencian Music Academy.
He is currently a professor of Fundamentals of Composition, Harmony, Analysis and Orchestra at the Professional Conservatories of Xátiva and Albaida, and Director of the Unió Musical de Montesa y Rótova.
In 2005 and 2007 he composed the official hymns of the cities of Vallada and Montesa.
In October 2006, his best-known work "L' Ambaixador Cristia" was the only composition that was performed in the Columbus Day parade on 5th Avenue in New York. In the summer of 2008 he composed the obligatory work of the Oliva Band Contest that was held in February 2009. The last countries where his music has been played have been: Germany, Holland, Canada and Australia.
