Prize-winning composer Gregory Fritze has written over a hundred compositions for a variety of forces, and is also a greatly admired teacher. The four works on this album share programmatic perspectives. The city of London is evoked in a celebratory overture full of vitality, diversity and pageantry; the two symphonies reflect Fritze’s immersion in the warmth, landscape and festive excitement of the city of Valencia; and the overture Waterplace Park, a popular meeting place in Providence, Rhode Island, is a jovial piece that features five unusual instrumental soloists.

Gregory Fritze is a prize-winning composer and Fulbright Scholar whose works have been performed more than one thousand times across 26 countries. He has received over 60 awards for his compositions and served as the principal conductor of the Boston Brass Ensemble for 14 years. In addition to his compositional achievements, he has performed in brass groups as both performer and conductor on more than one thousand occasions.

Conductor Rafael Sanz-Espert has been principal conductor in Bilbao, Madrid and Valencia. He has guest conducted on four continents – South America (National Symphony Orchestra of Paraguay), North America (US Army Orchestra, Washington), Africa and several throughout Europe.

Rafael Sanz-Espert was born in Valencia, Spain, where he attended the Conservatorio Superior de Música. As a young virtuoso he was one of the first to record an album for saxophone solo in Spain, and he began his professional career playing alto saxophone in the Banda Municipal de Valencia, a position he held for over ten years. During this time he also started to conduct for local Valencian music societies, establishing himself as one of the most dynamic and expressive conductors on the international wind music scene.