In 1990 was created the cultural association Banda Gaites Candas, borned for study, share and broadcasting of traditional culture of Asturias.

Our main goal is help to increase the cultural level of musical, folklore and traditional heritage of Asturias.

In Candas's Pipeband are currently over forty musicians, pipers and drummers. In addition, more than fifty schoolboys are studing in our School of Asturias's Traditional Music, which assures us a pool of young people each year who join our band maintaining its current level of performance and quality.

We have a wide set of songs consists mainly of Asturian traditional themes, adaptations harmonized by renowned composers from Asturian's culture, and pieces from other cultures of the Atlantic Arc (Breton, Galician, Scottish, Irish). We have also in our set, percussion solos. Severals of our musics are original compositions of our Mayor Piper, Jose Angel Hevia.

The coaching staff consists of renowned names in traditional music from Asturias.

• Avelino Muñiz Alvarez is our director and professor of bagpipes of the Band and is responsible, in addition, to directing the band in their public activities and oversee their testing, the harmonization of parts and choreographic designs. A renowned piper, who has performed all over the world and has long been known as a bagpipe teacher and is now professor at the Escuela Municipal de Música de Carreño Miguel Barrosa.

• Manuel Angel Cordero Gonzalez is the director and professor of percussion and a renowned percussionist, member of various groups, with extensive experience as director of drums in several Asturian bands. He teachs in several schools of Asturias.

La Banda Gaites Candas alternates performances with all sorts of possibilities depending on the event: traditional couples, small groups, accompaning at dance groups and their participation in the Bandona de Asturias.

Every summer, since 1996, we have organized the Festival de Bandes de Gaites Villa de Candas, in which thousands of people from a lot of countries of Europe gather to enjoy a varied representation of the finest bagpipe bands from around the Celtic world. The most famous bands of Galicia, Asturias, León, Balearic Islands, Scotland, Ireland and Britain have participated in the various celebrations achieving international recognition and prestige of this event.

Several years ago, together with the bagpipe bands of Ribasella, Villaviciosa, Mieres del Camino and San Martín del Rey Aurelio, we are the Bandona de Asturias. Thus was formed a musical group of one hundred and twenty performers unique in its style, impressive for its majesty and volume, especially in parades.

Our reputation for quality music have allowed us to have an active presence both in our homeland, Asturias, as in the rest of Europe and in America.

La Banda Gaites Candás has participated in several Bagpipes Band Championships highlighting the following classifications:

• Winner of III Campeonatu Nacional de Bandes de Gaites Asturianes.
• Winner of campeonato de bandas de gaitas en la XXIV Edición del Festival do Gaiteiro de Soutelo, held in Forcarei (Pontevedra).
• Ninth place in the XIII Campeonato de la Liga Gallega de bandas de gaitas del año 2003.
• Third place in the XIV Campeonato de la Liga Gallega de bandas de gaitas del año 2004.
• Fourth place in the XV Campeonato de la Liga Gallega de bandas de gaitas del año 2005.

Among our international festival appearances can include:

• Festival de Guingamp (Bretaña Francesa).
• Festival Intercéltico de Lorient (Bretaña Francesa).
• Semaine Asturienne en Finistère avec la Banda Gaites Candas (Bretaña Francesa).
• Festival de Coalisland (Norte de Irlanda).
• Festival de Gaites de Cedeira (A Coruña).
• Festival Folclórico de Salamanca.
• Festival de Quintanar de la Sierra (Burgos).
• Festival de Moros y Cristianos de San Vicente Raspeig (Alicante).
• Festival de Bandas de Gaitas Encina de Ponferrada (León).
• Festival du Ménez-Hom en Plomodiern (Bretaña Francesa).
• Festival des Bords de L'Aulne (Bretaña Francesa).
• Festival I Suoni delle Dolomiti de Trentino (Italia).
• 48º Carnevale di Castrovillari e Festival Internazionale del folklore (Italia).
• Primer Festival Internacional de Gaiteros de Coimbra (Portugal).

We have also participated in many official events among which our participation in the delivery of the Prince of Asturias Awards, Opening of the Games Interceltic, Inauguration of President of the Xunta de Galicia, Asturias America's Day, Feast of the Santina in Covadonga, and so on.

We have participated in countless festivals in our region of origin (Asturias), as in other regions of Spain, Italy, France, Ireland, Argentina and Uruguay.

Our actions have been taken by the cameras of severals TV's channels: TVG, Spanish TV1, Tele 5, Antena 3, BBC, TPA, Telegijón, TeleAsturias and TeleValladolid. We have also worked for various radio stations.

Finally, we have also participated as collaborators in his records with Llan de Cubel, Amistades peligrosas, Pipo Prendes and the Symphony Orchestra of Asturias (OSPA). Also accompany to José Angel Hevia in his activities and have participated in the recording of his albums and promotional video of the Vuelta a España 2003.

You can view the promotional video on the following link to Youtube:

Thanks to the facilities that we have received both the Municipality of Carreño, as the Port Authority of Gijón, available today a magnificent clubhouse located in the Lighthouse building of Candás. In this building we have our administrative offices, our rehearsal rooms and our School of Traditional Music, with its classrooms of bagpipes, percussion and computer multimedia.