The Banda Municipal de Barcelona opens its season with an inaugural concert where the fusion of jazz and symphonic band music takes center stage. 🎶✨

Under the baton of conductor José R. Pascual-Vilaplana, the ensemble joins acclaimed trumpeter Sergei Nakariakov to deliver a vibrant program of exceptional virtuosity.

🎶 Rhapsody in Blue

📅 October 18, 2026

🕐 6:00 PM (approximate duration: 120 minutes)

📍 L'Auditori, Barcelona

🎟️ €13 to €18

📖 Jazz, tradition, and band premieres

The concert opens with Morton Gould's American Salute (1943), a brilliant and direct work that transforms a Civil War folk tune with strong communicative power. Next, Karl Wilhelm Brandt's Konzertstück No. 2, Op. 11 showcases late-Romantic writing tailored to highlight the soloist's mastery without sacrificing orchestral weight.

The centerpiece of the evening is George Gershwin's iconic Rhapsody in Blue, performed in a version for solo trumpet that conjures the unmistakable atmosphere of Manhattan by blending jazz and classical music. The program also features band premieres of two ballets by Leonard Bernstein: Facsimile and the suite from Dybbuk.

🎶 Performers and setting

Conductor José R. Pascual-Vilaplana brings out the full timbral richness of the Banda Municipal de Barcelona through wind and percussion arrangements brimming with color, rhythm, and vitality.

Sergei Nakariakov's extraordinary musicianship and trumpet virtuosity take the spotlight in this symphonic performance at L'Auditori.

✨ An unforgettable evening of symphonic virtuosity and jazz at L'Auditori.