Xosé Lois Foxo Rivas was born in Romeor do Caurel (Lugo) on the 12th October, 1950. He studied Theology, Philosophy and Human Studies at Lugo’s Seminary, achieving a diploma in “Ecclesiastical Science”. While at the Seminary, he was a member of the “Schola Cantorum”, where he played the gaita (Galician bagpipe) and the clarinet. Being a direct pupil of Master Castiñeira, who continued Juan Montes’s musical tradition, he became a music teacher. At Lugo’s Seminary he formed the group “Toxos e Xestas” which in the seventies he travelled around Europe.
After his studies at the Seminary, Xosé Lois Foxo moved to Barcelona where he graduated in “Translation and Interpretation of English and German ”, at University Autónoma, at the same time he founds the Escola de Gaitas e Danzas “Toxos e Xestas” (Dance and Gaita School, “Toxos e Xestas”) where thousands of pupils studied and study the Secrets of the gaita.
During the school year 1985-86, he took charge of the incipient Escola de Gaitas da Diputación de Ourense (School of Gaitas of the Deputation of Ourense), which throughout the years has spread over to all the councils of the province, Galicia and in different parts of the World. Nowadays Xosé Lois Foxo´s methodology for the study of the Galician bagpipe is used by thousands of students anywhere in the world.
As an artistic result of the Escola Provincial de Gaitas (Provincial School of Gaitas) we must emphasize on the creation of a hundred Galician bagpipe bands over the province of Ourense, in other parts of Galicia, as well in Galician emigration centres.
The Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona and the Wisconsin (USA) published in his website both works of investigation of Xosé Lois Foxo on technicians of translation and celtic music, respectively.
There is no doubt that, the most outstanding labour is the creation of the Real Banda de Gaitas, title conceded by Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain, Don Juan Carlos I and Dona Sofía, as a recognition for propagating Galician and Spanish culture around the World. Xosé Lois Foxo has been awarded by many institutions, such as: The Vatican and the Galician Government. With the Real Banda de Gaitas da Deputación de Ourense has visited the five continents and recorded 25 audiovisual works.
As composer he made a prolific task of works of Galician root, however, his paramount work is the education and the promotion of the bagpipe as representative instrument of Galicia and support of his music along the centuries. Of these works we can stand out: Gallaecia, composed for the first takeover of the President Fraga, being interpreted by five thousand pipers in the Praza do Obradoiro of Santiago de Compostela, Muiñeira de Wojtyla, Muiñeira da Infanta Elena, Muiñeira da Infanta Cristina, Gran Rapsodia de Aires Populares de Galicia “Felipe de Borbón” and many more. He was honored repeatedly by different institutions such as the Serenísima Orden da Alquitara de Portomarín, Enxebre Orde da Vieira de Madrid, Gran Noite de Galicia in Barcelona, Cabaleiro da Orde do Albariño, Grande do Caurel, Lucense of the year 2006, Silver Medal to the Xunta de Galicia, Medal of Vatican City, distinction of the Galician entities in Catalunya…
His work in the field of collection and publication of ethnic music and translation of scientific articles is outgoing. He is the creator and founder of the International Bagpipes Museum, organizer and creator of the Xuntanza Internacional de Gaiteiros, Campeonato da Liga Galega de Bandas de Gaitas, Filandón de Músicas do Caurel as well as many other activities for the promotion of Galician music.
Between his publications we can stand out the following:
- Os Segredos da Gaita (in a 7ª edition was translated to Castilian, English, German, French and Japanese).
- Anuario da Gaita 29 volumes.
- Músicas do Caurel 3 volumes.
- Os Louceiriños.
- Cantares da Tía Antonia de Atás.
- Cantares da Terra das Frieiras.
- Museo Internacional de Cornamusas.
- Cantares da Cega do Covelo.
- Gran Rapsodia de Aires Populares de Galicia “Felipe de Borbón”.
- Cancioneiro das Terras do Riós.
- Die Sachpfeife–La Gaita. Fritz Schneider. Translated of the German.
- Os últimos brindeiros de Forgas.
- The Celtic Legacy of the gaita in galician music.
- Manuela Cortizo Medal, Cantareira de Barro de Arén.
- Cancioneiro Oencia e Contorna
- Cancioneiro Antropolóxico Quiroga, Ribas do Sil e Montañas do Lor
- Escola e Real Banda de Gaitas 1985-2016
With the Real Banda published the following audiovisuals:
Os Segredos da Gaita (CD+Video didáctico), Gallaecia(CD), Vídeo lugares monumentales provincia de Ourense, Ano Santo (CD), Adelita(CD), Solistas da Real Banda(CD),Gaudeamus Igitur(CD), Cantigas de Ourense(CD), Directo Teatro Avenida de Buenos Aires (CD+DVD), God bless America(CD), O Camiño(CD), Festa Celta(CD), Cantigas do Mar(CD), Gran Rapsodia de Aires Populares de Galicia(CD), Concertos a Juan Pablo II (CD+DVD), Concerto de Nadal con María do Ceo (CD-DVD), Centenario Estrella Galicia (CD), Concerto Atox (CD), Directo Teatro Principal de Burgos (DVD), Directo Liceo de Salamanca (DVD), Himnos e Marchas Procesionais de Galicia (CD), Cantares Populares con Miriam Figueiras (CD+DVD), Concerto de Reis 2008 (DVD), Marco Foxo Gañador Solistas 2009 (CD-DVD), Concerto de Reis 2010, Successes around the World (CD-DVD).
Awards with the Real Banda:
- Trofeo “The best overseas pipe band”, gañado nos mundiais de Bandas de Gaitas de Glasgow (Agosto 1991 y 1993).
- Distinción á Banda máis popular do Highland Gathering, celebrado en Yakarta 1992 (Indonesia)
- Gran Percebe de plata e ouro, otorgados pola “Enxebre Xuntanza do Percebe de Barcelona”.
- Gran “Caball” da cidade de Barcelona.
- Medallas de recoñecemento das cidades de Munich, Nürnberg e Berlín.
- Medalla de ouro da cidade de Nantes.
- Diploma de honra da cidade de Glasgow.
- Distinción especial do Festival Internacional de Strakonice (Chequia)
- Medalla de ouro da cidade de Caracas.
- Distinción de honra da cidade de Chicago.
- Medalla de ouro da Cidade do Vaticano.
- Pergamino de recoñecemento da súa Santidade o Papa Xoan Pablo II.
- Medalla ó mérito do Goberno de Corea do Sur.
- Distincións das Televisións Nacionais de México e Santo Domingo.
- Diploma de recoñecemento do Goberno de Xapón.
- Declaración do goberno de Uruguay de interés nacional a presencia da Real Banda no seu País.
- Medalla de ouro da cidade de Bós Aires.
- Medalla de plata do Goberno de Galicia.
- Trofeo “Cidade de New York” (desfile de San Patricio – 30 de Marzo do 2000).
- Chave de Ouro da cidade de Newark (New Jersey).
- Premio ó mellor labor de comunicación no ámbito nacional e internacional, referido á Comunidade Autónoma de Galicia, acadado o 13 de Decembro do 2002.
- Chave de Ouro da cidade de Melbourne.
- Recoñecemento do Conservatorio de Música de Sydney.
- Título de REAL concedido polas súas Maxestades os Reis de España, Don Juan Carlos I e Dona Sofía.
- Distinción da Biblioteca de Alexandría.
- Medalla de ouro do Goberno do Cairo.
- Medalla de ouro da Universidade do Cairo.
- Recoñecemento do Consello Superior de Antigüedades de Egipto.
- Gran Escudo de Ouro do Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico.
- Medalla da Expo Universal de Shanghai.
- Gran Libro de Seda do Concello de Pekín.
- Terracota do Museo dos Guerreiros de Shian.
- Recoñecemento da Gran Muralla China.
- Insignia de ouro da Federación Limiar 2013.
- · “Gallegos del año 2014”
- Fillo adoptivo de Arnado d’Oencia.
- Comendador do cocido 2015 do Centro Galicia en Ponferrada.
- Premio “Excelentia a la cultura” 2016.
The bibliography and audiovisual archive of the Escola Provincial de Gaitas da Deputación de Ourense houses the works of Xosé Lois Foxo.
