Orchestra de la Comunitat Valenciana

The Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana (OCV) [Orchestra of the Region of Valencia] was founded in 2006 by Lorin Maazel, who was its first musical director. As the orchestra of the Palau de les Arts, it has quickly won prestige among the public and critics and achieved a level of artistic excellence that makes one of the best orchestras in Spain and one of the most important created in Europe in recent years. This recognition has also been earned thanks to the work of Zubin Mehta in the initial seasons, above all with the DVD recording of Wagner’s Ring, together with maestros of the stature of Riccardo Chailly, Valery Gergiev and Gianandrea Noseda. Following the successful tenure of American James Gaffigan at the helm of the OCV, the prestigious British conductor Sir Mark Elder is the ensemble’s musical director since September 2025.

The OCV has been praised for the quality of its musicians and as a versatile ensemble capable of interpreting both opera and symphonic music with its own personality. It has continued its artistic journey supported by leading conductors, such as Daniele Gatti, Fabio Luisi, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Philippe Jordan, and extended its already broad opera repertoire in a variety of styles guided by internationally renowned conductors such as Marc Albrecht, Maurizio Benini, Lorenzo Viotti, Riccardo Minasi and Marc Minkowski. It has also maintained close collaboration with the most important internationally recognised Spanish conductors, including Gustavo Gimeno, Pablo Heras-Casado, Juanjo Mena and Josep Pons.

Every season, the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana plays in the opera season in Les Arts, as well as an ambitious concert cycle in which it tackles complex works in a wide range of styles, such as Janácek’s Glagolitic Mass, the Verdi and Brahms requiems, Stravinsky’s ballets, symphonies by Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Dvo?ák, Haydn, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Prokofiev, Schubert, Schumann, Shostakovich, Sibelius and Tchaikovsky, symphonic poems by Mussorgsky, Rimski-Korsakov and Strauss, and French and Spanish music. It also participates actively in training (productions and concerts at the Centre de Perfeccionament) and educational programmes (concerts for school students and families), and works to bring music to a wider public (Sunday morning chamber concerts).

Considered one of the most important cultural icons of the Region of Valencia, the OCV gives some of its concerts in other halls and venues in the region (the Les Arts amb Tu cycle). It has also had close links with the Auditori in Castelló since its opening, and gives a number of concerts there every season with leading conductors. As an ambassador of the immense musical heritage of Valencia, the orchestra has played and rediscovered compositions by Barrachina Sellés, Blanquer, Chapí, Esplà, López-Chavarri, Llàcer Pla, Lleó, Palau, Rodrigo, Salvador and Serrano. It also works to spread public awareness of contemporary composers such as César Cano, Juan José Colomer, Francisco Coll and Andrés Valero.

LORIN MAAZEL (2006 - 2011)
Founder and first Music Director

OMER MEIR WELLBER (2011 - 2014)
Music Director

RAMÓN TEBAR (2015 - 2019)
Principal Guest Conductor

ZUBIN MEHTA (2006 - 2014)
President of the Festival del Mediterrani

FABIO BIONDI (2015 - 2018)
Music Director

ROBERTO ABBADO (2015 - 2019)
Music Director

JAMES GAFFIGAN (2021 - 2025)
Music Director

SIR MARK ELDER (2025 - Present)
Current director of the OCV

FIRST VIOLINS
Gjorgi Dimcevski, concertmaster
Roman Kholmatov, associate concertmaster
Po-An Lin, assistant principal
Benjamin Scherer, assistant principal
Susanna Gregorian
Marija Nemanyté
Teresa Nikolova-Nolen
Joaena Hyewon Ryu
Mikhail Spivak
Roman Svirlov
Elena Trushkova

SECOND VIOLINS
Anastasia Pylatyuk, principal
Anna Stepanenko, assistant principal
Carles Civera
Dasha Dubrovina
Lelia Iancovici
Evgueni Moriatov
Alexander Nikolaev
Inés Romaguera
Katriina Saloheimo

VIOLAS
Andriy Viytovych, principal
Sergio Sáez, assistant principal
Javier Alejandro Cárdenas
Samuel Espinosa
Julia Hu
Abraham Martín
Ana Mba
Andrey Ovchinnikov

VIOLONCELLOS
Salvador Bolón, principal
Rafal Jezierski, co-principal
Arne Neckelmann, assistant principal
Alejandro Friedhoff
Blanca Gorgojo
Estrella Guerrero
Olga Kochenkova
Uladzislau Trukhan

DOUBLE-BASSES
Mihai Ichim, principal
Zoltan Dosa, assistant principal
Matthew Baker
David Molina
Gianluca Tavaroli

HARP
Noelia Cotuna, principal

FLAUTAS
Magdalena Martínez, principal
Ana Naranjo, co-principal
Virginie Reibel, assistant principal

Piccolo
Virginie Reibel 

OBOES
Christopher Bouwman, principal
Pierre Antoine Escoffier, principal
Ana Rivera, assistant principal 

Cor Anglais
Ana Rivera 

CLARINETS
Tamás Massànyi, co-principal
Francisco Javier Ros, assistant principal
Cecilio Vilar, assistant principal

E-flat clarinet
Cecilio Vilar

Bass clarinet
Francisco Javier Ros 

BASSOONS
Salvador Sanchis, principal
Alba González, assistant principal
Javier Biosca

Contrabassoon
Alba González 

HORNS
Bernardo Cifres, principal
Jesús Sánchez, co-principal
David Rosell, assistant principal
Miguel Martín
David Sánchez 

TRUMPETS
Rubén Marqués, principal
Christian Ibáñez, assistant principal
Josep Maria Olcina 

TROMBONES
Juan Manuel Real, principal
Ignacio Pérez, assistant principal
José Vicente Faubel

Bass and contrabass trombone
Ignacio Pérez 

TUBA
Ramiro Tejero, principal

Cimbasso
Ramiro Tejero 

TIMPANI
Gratiniano Murcia, principal

PERCUSSION
Francisco Inglés, principal
Ignasi Doménech

Discography

Each season, the OCV performs in the operas programmed at Les Arts and presents an ambitious concert cycle tackling complex scores in every style. Listen on Spotify to some of its most significant performances.

Discover the best of the Orchestra

Don’t miss the chance to discover and enjoy the best of the Orquesta de la Comunidad Valenciana on our YouTube channel or by checking the season’s programme at Les Arts.