Maripepa Contreras
There are not so many jazz oboists but Maripepa Contreras is one of the best. Born in Spain (Almuñécar, 1989), Maripepa started at the age of 5 with music. Thanks to her mother, who would take her by car to the conservatory since she was 11 years old, she got a higher degree in oboe performance at Conservatorio Superior de Música de Málaga (Spain), with teacher René Martín Rodríguez in 2011.
She entered in the world of jazz in 2013, taking lessons with Ernesto Aurignac who brought her talent into a new direction and give her the motivation to go further in music.
In 2018, she won the scholarship AIE Jazz Tete Montoliu to finish the bachelor of oboe jazz in the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with teachers: Jasper Blom, Simon Richter, Ben van Gelder and Ernest Rombout. Later in 2021 she got the master degree in oboe jazz. Nowadays she is dedicating herself entirely to music as a performer, composer, arranger and she is teaching "oboe jazz" online and onsite.
Composer / Arranger
She has been composing for her group Maripepa Contreras Quintet and other jazz groups. For bigger ensembles she has written arrangements for het Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, Ricciotti Ensemble, All Stars double reed band, Nederlands Dubbelriet Ensemble, Banda de Música de Almuñécar, Ensemble de saxofones del Conservatorio Cristóbal de Morales de Sevilla, etc. She has written composition assignments for choir commissioned by Gaudeamus Festival and kamerkoor JIP, and for big band commissioned by the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw. Nowadays is one of the regular arrangers for Marmoucha Orchestra, where some of her compositions and arrangements have been recorded.
Orchestral experience
She has performed as a soloist with Orquesta de Cámara Promúsica de Málaga, Orquesta de Cámara “Ensemble Elegance” de Málaga and Noordpool Orkest. As a member has performed with orchestras such as Orquesta Joven de Andalucía, Metropole Orkest, Koninklijke Militaire Kapel ‘Johan Willem Friso’, Het Promenade Orkest, NAtionaal Symfonisch KAmerorkest, Ricciotti Ensemble, Orquesta de Córdoba, Jong Metropole, academy of Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, Orquesta Sinfónica Provincial de Málaga, Orquesta Ciudad de Almería, etc. She was principal oboe in Banda Municipal de Música de Motril.
Prices
She won the first Price in the 'Muestra de jóvenes intérpretes de Málaga Crea 2014' with Al- Ándalus woodwind quartet and the first special mention in the 'XXII Muestra de jóvenes intérpretes de Málaga Crea' competition with the Orquesta de Cámara Promúsica. With Combo Pericles won the second price in II Concurso “Portón del Jazz” de Alhaurín de la Torre. Is finalist in Leiden Jazz Award 2018 with Maripepa Contreras Quintet, semifinalist in “Concurso Juventudes Musicales Jazz 91ª Convocatoria” with her Quartet, semifinalist in "7 Virtual Jazz Club's Contest 2020" with Maripepa Contreras Quintet and Outstanding Performance and Outstanding Soloist in "44th Annual DownBeat Student Music Awards" with Maripepa Contreras Quintet.
Festivals
She has played in “XXVIII Festival internacional de jazz de Málaga”, “34 Festival Jazz Terrassa”, “Festival de jazz de Sant Andreu (2015)”, Grachtenfestival in Amsterdam (2017, 2021), 50 Voll-Damm Festival Internacional de Jazz de Barcelona (2018), Jazzahara (2019), Jazzfest
Amsterdam (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023), Injazz (2020, 2022), Wonderfeel (2021), Pas Festival (2021), Jazz in de Kamer (2022), Jazzfestival Generations (2022), On the roof (2022, 2024), Jazzfestival Delft (2022), CityProms Leeuwarden (2022, 2023), UJazzFest (2023), Opera Forward Festival
(2023), North Sea Jazz Festival (2023), Festival L’Boulevard (2023), ZomerJazzFietsTour (2023), Amsterdam Roots Festival (2024), Jazzahead! (2024), Breda Jazz Festival (2024), Uitgast Festival (2024), Amersfoort World Jazz Festival (2024), etc.
CD Recordings
She has recorded as a jazz oboist with: Cacha Mundinho, I Compani, Julius Eastman Project, Mehdi Nassouli, Aline Morena, Alicia Tamariz, Marmoucha Orchestra (Modes of MaQamat and Sahara Koyo), Noneto Desconcertante...
As a classical oboist she has recorded albums with: Metropole Orkest, Louis Cole, Marmoucha Orchestra, Bernard van Rossum, Javier Ojeda, Ernesto Aurignac, Magda Mendes, Camiel Jansen…
Colaborations
She has performed with musicians such as: Perico Sambeat, Ernesto Aurignac, Carles Benabent, Jorge Pardo, Louis Cole, Mehdi Nassouli, Ben van Gelder, Reinier Baas, Ronald Snijders, Jesse van Ruller, Michael Moore, Maarten Hogenhuis, Carme Canela, Aline Morena, Rembrandt Frerichs, Sanne Huijbregts, Jean-Luc Fillon, Michael Rabinowitz, Jaume Llombart, Dee Jay Foster, Ramón Prats, Toni Belenguer, José Carra, Julián Sánchez, Morris Kliphuis, Timon Koomen, Remco Menting, Oene van Geel, Elizabeth Fadel, Rogério Bicudo, Pau Domenech, Enrique Oliver, Fernando Brox, Martín Melendez, Roger Mas, José Mercé, Montse Cortés, Abir el Abed, Alfredo Lagos, Gerardo Núñez, Fernando Egozcue, Andrea Bocelli, etc.
Education
In the world of jazz she participated in IX and X “Seminario internacional de jazz y música moderna de Alhaurín de la Torre”, taking lessons with Ernesto Aurignac, Tete Leal, Perico Sambeat and Pasquale Grasso. During the course 2013/2014 she studied jazz and improvisation in Escuela Municipal de Música de Alhaurín de la Torre with teacher Ernesto Aurignac. In the course 2014/2015 she studied jazz in Centro de Artes & Música Moderna de Málaga “Maestro Puyana” with teachers Ernesto Aurignac, Julián Sánchez and Tete Leal. She participated in Obomania academy (2015, 2016, 2018) with jazz oboist Jean-Luc Fillon.
On the other side, she has given jazz workshops in hobo- & fagotdag in Almelo (2017), Conservatorium van Amsterdam (2018), in the International Double Reed Society 47th Annual Conference in Granada (2018), in the Conservatorio Profesional de Música "Ramón Garay" de Jaén (2019), Hoboplatform (2021), Real Conservatorio Superior Victoria Eugenia de Granada (2023), etc. Currently she is teaching in Muziekschool Amsterdam Noord and privately, and was a guest teacher in Conservatorium van Amsterdam and Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Tilburg.
