1st Edition 2025
The inaugural Totana Organ Festival took place at the Sanctuary of La Santa—a magnificent site distinguished by its architecture, privileged natural setting, impressive paintings, and religious significance. Complementing these features was one of the two historic organs of the Guadalentín Valley; the festival sought to showcase this instrument as yet another of the Church’s great treasures.
Over the four Saturdays of October, the festival had the pleasure of hosting a lineup of outstanding organists from across the country, while also creating a platform for young talent from the Region of Murcia through the “Young Performers’ Tribune” (Tribuna de Jóvenes Intérpretes).
The four concerts featured a selection of the finest Spanish works and composers from the 17th and 18th centuries, alongside contemporary compositions, allowing audiences to discover and appreciate the technical and musical capabilities of the organ.
The festival invited all those who cherish rich sensory experiences to visit La Santa and enjoy superb music in a unique setting—surrounded by history, nature, and spirituality—and to discover one of the Region of Murcia’s most important tourist landmarks.
Antonio Cánovas Moreno
Artistic Director, Totana Organ Festival.
2025 Festival
The festival will feature four concerts held on Saturdays throughout October at the Hermitage of Santa Eulalia in Totana, starting at 8:00 PM.
Following the performance, a reception with Spanish wine will be offered to all attendees, providing an opportunity to meet the organist in person and converse with the artist.
This event is sponsored by Bodegas Luzón of Jumilla.
Roberto Fresco
Roberto Fresco (Astorga, 1967) is the organist at the Cathedral of Santa María la Real de la Almudena and an organ professor at the Katarina Gurska Higher Center in Madrid. He studied at the Royal Higher Conservatory of Music in Madrid and subsequently at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna under Michael Radulescu—an organist who shaped many aspects of his musical philosophy. However, it was the Spanish organist Montserrat Torrent who exerted the most significant influence on him. His career as a concert artist and teacher has taken him across Europe, the United States, Latin America, and the Philippines. He directs the “Fray Joseph de Echevarría” Organ Academy—held annually using the historic organs of the Tierra de Campos region (Palencia)—and serves as a faculty member for the “Música en Compostela” International Courses. www.robertofresco.es
Carlos Paterson
An Aragonese organist, pianist, and composer, he trained under distinguished masters such as Jan Willem Jansen, Olivier Baumont, Anna Jastrzebska, and Antón García Abril. A recent recipient of the ‘Cristóbal Halffter’ International Composition Prize, he performs at prestigious national and international festivals—including those in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, León, Porto, Florence, Venice, Palermo, Leuven, Leeds, Duisburg, Landsberg, Dillingen, Lugano, and Gdańsk, as well as the Hong Kong Concert Hall. He frequently lectures at institutions such as the Instituto Cervantes in Brussels, Lund University (Malmö, Sweden), the Haydn Conservatory in Eisenstadt (Austria), and the LUCA Lemmens Institute in Leuven (Belgium). He serves on the organizing and artistic committee of the ‘Antón García Abril’ International Piano Competition. He has made recordings for Radio Nacional de España (RNE2) and for the European Gramophone and Warner Classics record labels. Notable works include the piano *Suite-Sonata ‘Hugo & Daniela’*, recorded by international pianist Brenno Ambrosini; chamber music such as *‘In Paradisum’*—premiered at the Leuven *Zomerconcerten* in 2017 and recently recorded with the renowned trumpeter Pacho Flores (a Deutsche Grammophon artist); and choral and symphonic works such as *‘Crux Fidelis’* and *‘Alborada’*, the latter having recently premiered at the Palau de la Música in Valencia.
Miriam Cepeda
Born in Bilbao, she studied at the J.C. Arriaga Higher Conservatory of Music, obtaining advanced degrees in Piano (under A. Vergara), Music Theory, and Music Pedagogy. She subsequently enrolled at the F. Escudero Conservatory in San Sebastián, where she earned a Professional Diploma in organ and harpsichord under E. Elizondo and L.F. Imaz, respectively. She completed her advanced organ studies with the highest honors under E. Landart and L. Mallié at the Higher Centre for Music of the Basque Country (Musikene) in San Sebastián. She has performed concerts at numerous venues, including the Hospital de los Venerables in Seville, the Cathedral of Valladolid, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, San Sebastián, Ataun, the Collegiate Church of Cenarruza, Andorra, the Monastery of Leyre, Boadilla de Rioseco, Castromocho, Salvatierra, the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana, Hendaye, Bordeaux, the Sanctuary of Torreciudad, Vitoria, the Cathedral of Cuenca, Pedreguer, Deba, Zumaia, Montesa, and the Collegiate Church of Xunqueira de Ambía. She frequently collaborates with various choral ensembles and, since 2006, has performed as a duo with clarinetist L.A. Requejo—bass clarinet soloist with the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra. Notable highlights of their collaboration include a tour of Slovakia—featuring appearances at the Cífer International Festival and the Mirbach Palace “Matinee” series in Bratislava—as well as a performance at the Church of Saint-Pierre in Manigod (Rhône-Alpes, France) and participation in the BOS Chamber Music Season at the Euskalduna Palace. She currently serves as the organist at the Basilica of Santa María de Begoña (playing the 1884 Cavaillé-Coll organ) and as an organ professor at the “Jesús de Monasterio” Conservatory in Santander, balancing these roles with an active concert schedule.
Marina López
Marina, a harpsichordist, organist, and pianist from Murcia, focuses her training on historical music and music education. She began her piano and harpsichord studies at the Murcia Conservatory of Music, subsequently pursuing higher education at the Murcia Higher Conservatory of Music and ESMAE in Porto (Portugal), while also expanding her training at ESMUC in Barcelona. She completed her studies in 2022 under the guidance of Javier Artigas, graduating with Distinction (*Matrícula de Honor*) and top marks. In 2021, she was selected as a soloist for the 14th Young Soloists Series of the Region of Murcia and was a finalist in the “Juventudes Musicales de España” competition with the ensemble Anacronía, receiving the special award for “Best Baroque Music Performer.” “The organist handled the accompaniment of the consort effortlessly and drew applause and cheers during her solo pieces,” “what that woman was doing seemed truly virtuosic”—a review by Ars Musica for EmilcarFm radio. After completing postgraduate studies in Music Education at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and Cultural Management at IGECA, she specialized in the performance and research of Iberian music at the Royal Higher Conservatory of Music in Madrid and in organ performance at the Murcia Higher Conservatory of Music. Additionally, in 2024, she was awarded a scholarship by the International University of Valencia (Enseña Scholarships) to pursue a Master’s degree in Teacher Training specializing in Music. She currently teaches harpsichord at the “Guitarrista José Tomás” Professional Conservatory of Music in Alicante.
Since 2020, she has been a member of Anacronía. As winners of Festclásica’s “2023 Emerging Ensemble” award, the group has toured extensively across Spain and performed in the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Latvia, France, and Poland. Additionally, the group was named “Best Young Ensemble of 2022” by the GEMA Association and selected to participate in IYAP (Antwerp) and EEEMERGING+. Beyond being a founding member of the ensembles Anacronía, Pulsar Velado, Mavra, and Capella Invicta, she collaborates with Murcian countertenor Pedro Pérez and prominent groups such as Cantoría—with whom she has performed at London’s prestigious Wigmore Hall, among other venues. Her performance history also includes the Murcia Symphony Orchestra, the Madrid Symphony Orchestra, the Portuguese Youth Orchestra, Boreas Musica, Sine Tempore, the Region of Murcia Youth Orchestra, the UCAM Symphony Orchestra, Intensio, Camerata Antonio Soler, Ensemble ECOS, and the University of Murcia Orchestra. At the latter institution, she serves as coordinator and instructor for the Chamber Music Workshop and the University’s “Classical JAMS” series. Alongside her musical career, she has trained in the performing arts and holds a university degree in Art History from the University of Murcia. Her interests include experimentation with sound art and avant-garde music. She is a pianist and performer with The Tacet Collective and has participated in programming for Monoton (the Region of Murcia’s sound archive) and in performances alongside Eduardo Balanza and Pedro Guirao as part of the Órgano B71 project, inaugurating the instrument in 2021.