Baltasar Bibiloni

Binissalem is the town where Baltasar Bibiloni was born and lives, a true reference in the world of choral singing, both for his pedagogical and compositional aspects.

This town, located in the interior of Mallorca, in the geographical area of ​​the so-called Raiguer region, is known for its wines with a designation of origin, its stone craftsmen and its exceptional historical complex. But it has also begun to place itself on the musical map thanks to being the place where our illustrious master spent much of his life, partly responsible, among other things, for the choral tradition that the municipality has been preserving for many years.

When we think and hear choral music, our thoughts immediately come to mind with the personality of Baltasar Bibiloni. He has shown us how we can practice, enjoy and listen to choral music and, we could also say, music in general. There were few choirs in Mallorca or the Balearic Islands when he, with enough discipline and sensitivity, began to direct what was called, at that time, the Massa Coral de Binissalem. Already in the seventies, and showing his pedagogical side, he started a children’s choir in Binissalem that entered a Christmas Carol Competition in the island area, obtaining first prize. Well, some of us who still, and thanks to those moments, have continued to be part of the choral groups that have mostly, and since then, existed in the town.

What really matters for those of us who continue to be part of the choral fabric that Baltasar initiated and fostered is that the “master” has been and continues to be a reference in all areas of choral music; through his teaching vocation he instilled in teachers the habit of singing well; through compositions for all types of choral ensembles he has reached the entire choral society of the country; and by asserting his leadership qualities he has ensured that the groups that have passed through his hands manage to sing with pleasure and sing well, which is what he has always defended.

The fact that a group of singers launched this choral competition with a vocation for continuity, improvement and consolidation, full of ambition in the long term, with the ultimate aspiration of being a cultural reference in the Mallorcan choral world, has a lot to do with the inspiration, influence and love that Baltasar instilled in each of us for choral singing.