Justo Manuel Jiménez Fábregas

Justo Manuel Jiménez Fábregas Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Cádiz) on 29 September 1973. He began his musical studies at the Joaquín Turina Elementary Conservatoire in his home town, specialising in Piano and Violin. He continued his training at the Manuel de Falla Professional Conservatoire in Cádiz, before moving on to the Manuel Castillo Higher Conservatoire in Seville and the Royal Higher Conservatoire of Madrid.

He holds qualifications as Piano Teacher; Higher Teacher of Solfège, Music Theory, Accompaniment, Sight-Reading and Transposition; Higher Teacher of Harmony, Counterpoint and Fugue, Composition, Instrumentation and Orchestration; and Higher Teacher of Choral Conducting, completing these studies with the highest marks and receiving the unanimous End-of-Studies Honour Prize in the latter specialisation. He also holds a qualification in Orchestral Conducting from the Royal Higher Conservatoire of Madrid. In addition, he completed up to the seventh year of Violin (1966 Curriculum).

He has undertaken advanced courses in Piano with José Manuel de Diego, Ana Guijarro, Pilar Bilbao, Julián López Gimeno and Tatiana Postnikova, among others; in Violin with Břetislav Novotný, Yuri Managadze and others; courses in Didactics and Methodology of Musical Language (holding Level I Expert status: "Specialisation in Secondary Education"); courses in sound engineering; as well as the course "Musical Conducting Technique according to Sergiu Celibidache: Principles of Musical Phenomenology", taught by Enrique García Asensio, among others.

He has studied Orchestral Conducting with Octav Calleya and Enrique García Asensio (themselves pupils of Celibidache and Karajan, among others), Mercedes Padilla, Alain Sancho and Antonio Moya; and Choral Conducting with Ricardo Rodríguez.

He has given lectures at the Contemporary Music series in Málaga.
He has served on the jury of several competitions, notably the Habaneras Competition in Cuevas de Almanzora (Almería), Spanish song competitions, and others.

Regarding his teaching experience, he taught at the Municipal Music School of Trebujena from 1995 to 2003, serving as its director from 1999 and achieving official accreditation for the school from the Regional Government of Andalusia.
He has also taught at secondary schools - at Compañía de María for three years and at La Salle in Sanlúcar de Barrameda - as well as at the Manuel Carra Professional Conservatoire in Málaga, in the specialisation of Fundamentals of Composition.

Since 2004 he has held the post of Professor in the specialisation of Composition, teaching at the Higher Conservatoire of Málaga and at those of Seville and Jerez de la Frontera, where he currently works. Among the subjects he has taught are: Counterpoint, Fugue, Instrumentation and Orchestration, Harmony, Analysis, Analysis of Contemporary Music, Theory of Musical Forms, Contemporary Music Workshop (directing ensembles of various kinds), Harmonic-Contrapuntal Practice, and others.
He is a civil servant by competitive examination in the Corps of Teachers of Music and Performing Arts in the specialisation of Fundamentals of Composition for the Regional Government of Andalusia.

In his work as artistic and musical director, it is worth noting that from November 2000 to October 2010 he led the Nuestra Señora de Palomares Concert Band of Trebujena, with which he gave countless performances spanning all genres: Holy Week, Christmas, educational concerts, all manner of street parades, bullfighting events, joint concerts with choir, and more.

He has been director and founder of the Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza Polyphonic Choir of Sanlúcar de Barrameda since 1993, with which he has given numerous concerts and performances. Highlights include Fauré's Requiem with the A Orillas del Guadalquivir Festival Orchestra; Mozart's Coronation Mass with the Seville Orchestra; monographic concerts together with the Nuestra Señora de Palomares Concert Band; all manner of liturgical celebrations; Christmas concerts; zarzuela concerts; as well as a concert aboard the training ship Juan Sebastián Elcanoamong others. He has also conducted the Saint Cecilia Choral Society of Sanlúcar de Barrameda on several occasions.

He has taken part in the recording of three albums: 25 años con el Valle (2004, Melody Records Studios, Seville), featuring processional marches and dedicated to the 25 years the Nuestra Señora de Palomares Concert Band had spent accompanying the canopy of Our Lady of the Valley of Jerez de la Frontera; Coronación de Esperanza (2007, Alta Frecuencia Studios, Seville), recorded with the Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza Polyphonic Choir in collaboration with the Bonares Concert Band; and Navidad en Sanlúcar (2008, La Bodeguita Studios, Jerez), recorded with the Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza Polyphonic Choir with the sponsorship of Cadena SER.

He also served as Delegate for Music in the Liturgy for the Diocese of Jerez from 1998 to 2000.

As a violinist, he has played in various orchestras, including the Manuel de Falla Conservatoire Orchestra, the Santa Cueva Oratory Orchestra and the Ciudad de Cádiz Orchestra.

As a pianist, he performs in a large number of recitals and also serves as accompanist in various intermediate and advanced grade examinations.

As a composer, he has written countless works spanning all genres: choral works, works for band, symphonic poems, hymns, chamber music, and more.

As an arranger and orchestrator, he has produced numerous arrangements for concert band, such as the Hymn for the Coronation of Our Lady of the Valley by Paco Cepero; the Hymn for the Coronation of Our Lady of Hope by Antonio Rondán; various marches, including Virgen del Mayor Dolor by Francisco Otero, Reina de San Joaquín and Desconsuelo de la Aurora by Carlos Godino; as well as arrangements of classical works and carnival music.