On Sunday afternoon, the Brotherhood of San Juan Evangelista held the ceremony to appoint the Sanjuanista of the year 2024 after Mass in suffrage for the souls of its deceased members. This year, the appointment fell to two young musicians, Matías Mayordomo Marín and María Sánchez Aroca, in recognition of their work in restoring and enhancing the brotherhood's musical heritage. During the ceremony, the new banner of the brotherhood's children's group, created by Jose Aroca García, was also presented, and the return of the historic San Juan Orchestra, 35 years after its last procession, was announced.
The revival of the orchestra, which last performed in 1989, is being coordinated by María Sánchez Aroca, one of the Sanjuanista of the Year honorees. This young woman, a member of the brotherhood's Nazarenos (third of the San Juan Brothers), holds a degree in advanced music education from the Manuel Massotti Conservatory of Music in Murcia. She was a full member of the Youth Orchestra of the Province of Alicante, with which she won first prize at the Summa Cum Laude Festival in Vienna. She is currently a full member of the Youth Orchestra of the Region of Murcia, the Youth Orchestra of the Galicia Symphony Orchestra, and is a member of the City of Granada Orchestra. A Sanjuanista by birth, she is the daughter of one of the members of the final stage of the San Juan Orchestra's history under the direction of maestro Germán Galindo.
The San Juan Band was founded in 1860 to accompany the brotherhood's titular figure and a few years later became the San Juan Orchestra thanks to the financial support of founding member Miguel Ruiz de la Peña. That orchestra enjoyed its most splendid years under the baton of Antonio León Piñera, Corporal León, who also composed Marches Nos. 1 and 2, which, along with the traditional San Juan pasodoble, accompanied by lyrics written by Juan Pérez Templado in 1943, are still part of the brotherhood's musical heritage.
Along with Sánchez Aroca, professional musician Matías Mayordomo Marín was also honored. In 2021, Mayordomo initiated the recovery of the brotherhood's historical musical heritage. During the second year in which the pandemic forced the cancellation of the processions, this young man launched a project that culminated in the performance of Antonio León Piñera's compositions by a string quartet on the stage of the Capitol Theater. This performance, in which the lyrics of the San Juan pasodoble were sung by soprano Patricia Dato, was launched as the brotherhood's own audiovisual project, which can now be enjoyed on its YouTube channel.
The Brotherhood of Saint John the Evangelist has thus come to recognize once again the work of the young members of the brotherhood, of which its patron is its patron, as well as the importance of preserving and enhancing its own musical and historical heritage.
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