Artists and Faculty1.-ARTISTSPhoto: Santi PerielHOPKINSON SMITHBorn in New York in 1946 and graduated from Harvard in 1972, Hopkinson Smith is recognized as one of the world’s leading specialists in historical plucked string instruments. In 1973, he came to Catalonia to study with Emili Pujol, a prominent scholar of the works of Joan Carles i Amat, and later moved to Switzerland (where he currently lives) to study the lute with Eugene Dombois at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. There, together with Jordi Savall, he founded Hespèrion XX, a group with which he collaborated for ten years. Since the mid-1980s, he has focused on solo performance and has since accumulated numerous recordings, concerts, and masterclasses around the world.
Among the accolades for his extensive discography are reviews in media such as the New York Times, the magazines *Grammophone* and *BBC Music*, and ten prestigious *Diapason d’Or* awards, most notably for his recordings of John Dowland (2005), Francesco da Milano (2009), and Johann Sebastian Bach (2013).
On September 24, 2022, Hopkinson Smith was the featured artist at the Commemorative Concert for the 450th anniversary of Joan Carles i Amat in Monistrol de Montserrat, alongside actress Sílvia Bel. On October 11, 2023, he also performed the inaugural concert of the Joan Carles i Amat International Academy in Monistrol, together with soprano Sophie Klussmann, with whom he also headlined the opening concert of the Joan Carles i Amat Festival in October 2024.
https://www.hopkinsonsmith.com/Photo: Santi Periel
SOPHIE KLUSSMANN
Born in Freiburg (Germany), Sophie Klussmann studied at the conservatories of Detmold and Cologne. Her awards include the Mozart Competition in Würzburg and the Trude Eiperte Stiftung. She is a versatile performer in concert, opera, and recital, having worked with conductors such as V. Jurowski, H. Rilling, I. Metzmacher, M. Janowski, M. Gielen, and M. Bosch, and with orchestras including the Berlin Radio Orchestra, Berlin Konzerthaus, SWR Orchestra, Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich, and Wiener Akademie.
In 2022, she made her debut at the Copenhagen Philharmonic Hall with Christoph Eschenbach, performing Brahms’s *German Requiem*. In opera, she has sung soprano roles such as Pamina, Nannetta, Dorinda, Wellgunde, and Waldvogel. In the 2021/22 season, she sang the title role in Franz Léhar’s *The Merry Widow* at the State Theater of Cottbus.
In early music, she has collaborated with the Akademie für Alte Musik, Collegium 1704, and the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century. Recently, she has begun working with lutenist Hopkinson Smith. In contemporary music, she has recorded works by Kurtág, Ligeti, and Stockhausen, and in lieder, she has performed at the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, the Kempen Festival, and the Stift Festival Holland. Her notable recordings include: *Dixit Dominus* by Handel (Harmonia Mundi), songs by Karl Weigl (Capriccio), and songs by S. Gervasoni (Cine Forum Venezia).
On October 11, 2023, Sophie Klussmann performed the opening concert of the Joan Carles i Amat International Academy in Monistrol de Montserrat, alongside Hopkinson Smith. Together, they were also the featured artists at the opening concert of the first edition of the Joan Carles i Amat Festival on October 6, 2024.
https://www.sophieklussmann.de
GENÍS SINCA
Genís Sinca, born in Manresa in 1970, is a writer and journalist. He won the Josep Pla Prize in 2013 with the novel 'Una família exemplar' and has specialized in biographies, including 'El cavaller Floïd', the thrilling life of the Òmnium Cultural founder and patron J.B. Cendrós. He also published the essay ‘The Secret Life of Our Doctors’, biographies of 20 of the best doctors of the 20th century. More recently, he published ‘Candel. The Typewriter’, about the life of the popular author of ‘The Other Catalans’. He collaborates on the TV3 program Tot es mou and appears regularly in other media outlets.
www.genissinca.com @genissinca
BELISANA RUÍZBorn in Soria, she moved to Barcelona, where in 2009 she obtained the Advanced Degree in Classical Guitar at ESMUC under the guidance of Àlex Garrobé, and in 2014, the Advanced Degree in Historical Plucked String Instruments under Xavier Díaz-Latorre, at the same institution.
She has performed at festivals and venues such as the Joan Brudieu International Festival, the Segovia Youth Festival, the David Russell International Course in Tudela, the Auditori de Barcelona, the Glazunov Hall in Saint Petersburg, the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, among others. With the guitar quartet Barcelona4Guitars, she has performed at the Church of Pi and the Palau de la Música Catalana. She collaborated with Musicologics in the project "The best guitar collection in the world" at the Museu de la Música de Barcelona, where she gave concerts using original guitars from the museum's collection.
She has also performed with numerous historically informed ensembles such as Mara Aranda, Sarao de Musas, Academia 1750, La Grande Chapelle, and Le Concert des Nations. She is a member of the groups Canto Basso, WorkinGOpera, La Sonorosa, Seicento is Alive and Tañer. With La Sonorosa, she recorded the CD Vida Bona, featuring music by Luis de Briceño, released by La mà de guido. She recorded the solo guitar part for the soundtrack of Jean-François and the Meaning of Life, directed by Sergi Portabella with music by Gerard Pastor. With the group Tañer, she released their first album, IM-POSIBLES, dedicated to 17th-century instrumental dances, published by Lindoro.
https://belisanaruiz.wixsite.com/belisanaruiz
Photo: Santi Periel
FIX NICOLETOriginally from France, François Xavier 'Fix' Nicolet studied at the conservatories of Rennes, Orléans and Strasbourg. He has specialized in early music (Vieilles Musiques festivals in Strasbourg, residencies at Arcades Institutes in France, Baroque Music Festival in Costa Rica, etc.) but also collaborates with contemporary composers such as Salvador Brotons, Manel Ribera, José Galeote, Glòria Villanueva, and Sergi Sirvent. In addition to his solo career, he performs with the ensembles Sons de Fusta i Cristall (with flutist Montserrat Gascón), Tangozzolla (with violinist Maria Perera), and Ensemble Fluido (focused on contemporary repertoire).
Fix Nicolet has developed a significant international career, performing with orchestras such as the Kielce Symphony Orchestra (Poland), the OJHB of France, the Julià Carbonell Orchestra, and the Liceu Orchestra of Barcelona... He has recorded programs and concerts for radio (France, Catalonia, Costa Rica, Vietnam, and Poland), for television (TF1, France), and has released three CDs with the labels AxBMusic, La Mà de Guido, and CapitalSound. For over 20 years, he has also been dedicated to teaching and is a professor at the Municipal Music School of l’Ametlla del Vallès, the Creu Alta Professional Conservatory, and the Escola Pia of Sabadell.
https://www.facebook.com/fixnicoletguitarra/
Photo: Sergio Graciano
LLUÍS ALAVEDRALluís Alavedra i Torrella (Vacarisses, 1965) is an architect who has been based in Monistrol for many years (graduated with a degree in architecture in 1995), with a strong interest in community activities – cultural, social, civic, and sports-related – and a special passion for music.
He has been a member of several local organizations, including the Sant Sebastià Association, and is currently a member of the Cultural Association Art i Esplai (for 44 years) and of the Joan Carles i Amat Association, of which he has been vice-president since its founding in 2019.
He was part of the editorial team of the magazine ‘El Dit Gros’ and a team member and presenter at Ràdio Monistrol, and in his sporting life, he played for many years with various football teams in Monistrol de Montserrat.
As a cultural promoter, he was a member of the Festival Committee of the streets known as “L’Altra Banda” for over 20 years. In terms of local politics, he served as a town councillor in Monistrol for 8 years.
His musical training – as an amateur – includes a brief period studying guitar at the Municipal School of Music in Sant Vicenç de Castellet, and above all, 20 years attending singing classes at the same school. The styles he feels most comfortable with are jazz, blues and musicals, although he also enjoys other genres.
Photo: Santi Periel
ANTONI GUIROLA
Born in Monistrol de Montserrat, Antoni Guirola, professionally involved in a field unrelated to music, is nevertheless a passionate enthusiast of Iberian percussion (in which he has completed many courses). He is self-taught and an amateur, and for over thirty years has been involved with various traditional and folk percussion groups.
In the Monistrol community specifically, he is currently the leader of
Els Tronats, a batucada group created in 1995 that accompanies the popular Diables at traditional festivals.
ESBART MONISTROL DANSAIREEsbart Monistrol Dansaire was founded on September 22, 1990. Sponsored by Esbart Sabadell Dansaire, it gave its first performance in Monistrol on April 21, 1991. It is a member of the Agrupament d’Esbarts Dansaires de Catalunya. It is an organization dedicated to the collection, preservation, teaching, and dissemination of the traditional dances of the Catalan Countries, always taking care to offer and maintain this folklore in its purest possible form.
The general characteristic of the Esbart’s dances is their sober and austere simplicity, and therefore their natural distinction and elegance, free from any exaggeration and any contrived effect. What Esbart Monistrol Dansaire aims to show in its performances is as simple as the culture, history, and spirit recovered from the Catalan people.
Currently, the Esbart is composed of three groups: children’s, youth, and Dance Corps. The different sections actively participate in Catalonia under the direction of Anna Rodríguez and with the collaboration of Carmina Cañadó on costume matters.
The motivation of this organization is none other than to maintain a living tradition and at the same time to fully enjoy the possibilities of showcasing our culture everywhere.
Since winning the 1st Prize at the Fundación Guerrero Guitar Competition and the Spanish Youth Musical Competitions, his concert career has developed in more than forty countries, performing in prestigious international halls such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Radio France Auditorium in Paris, the National Auditorium in Madrid, the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, and the Lutowslasky Auditorium in Warsaw.
He has premiered works by various contemporary composers, among which stand out the Concerto Mare Nostrum by Salvador Brotons, …di un soffio d’aura by Agustí Charles, and the Petrer Concerto by Simone Iannarelli (in each case as soloist with orchestra).
He has released six CDs with the Harmonia Mundi, Opera Tres, and Columna Música labels. After listening to his CD dedicated to British composers, Sir Malcolm Arnold commented that it was: "A masterful interpretation," adding "It is gratifying to hear the music played so magnificently."
https://www.alexgarrobe.com/about.html
BELÉN ESTIVALBelén Estival is an instrumentalist, musicologist, and pedagogue. She graduated as a Superior Guitar Professor at the Conservatorio Superior de Madrid under the mentorship of José Luis Rodrigo. Her interest in historical music led her to specialize in Renaissance and Baroque plucked string instruments, continuing her studies at the Conservatoire de Musique de Neuchâtel (Switzerland), where she obtained the higher diploma in the specialty of Renaissance lute under Jorge Fresno and Rose Mª Meister. She has taken specialization courses in early music interpretation with professors such as Nicolás Daza, José Miguel Moreno, Gerardo Arriaga, and Pat O’Brien. She holds a Master’s degree in Applied Musicology from the University of La Rioja and is currently preparing a doctorate at the same university focused on the interpretation of vihuela music.
As a guitarist, lutenist, and vihuelist, she regularly performs concerts with groups La Lira Nocturna, Due Voci, and L’Allegrezza, as well as collaborating with other ensembles such as Estil Concertant and Dialogo della Rosa. She has performed concerts and recordings with these groups in Spain and Europe, participating in festivals such as the Religious Music Weeks of Cuenca, the Musicology Conferences at UCLM, the Music Cycles at the Chapel of the University of Valencia, the International Early Music Festival of Xàtiva, and the Seminario Internazionale di musica antica in Santu Lussurgiu (Italy). As a musicologist, she has collaborated as a musical advisor at the Fundación Juan March and currently participates in a lecture program at the Department of Hispanic Studies at Connecticut College (USA). She has developed her teaching activity at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, in Secondary Education, and in various professional conservatories of the Community of Madrid.
https://www.facebook.com/people/Mar%C3%ADa-Bel%C3%A9n-Estival-Visier/100013075843627/
RAIMONDO MANTIONEBorn in Agrigento (Sicily - Italy) in 1984, Raimondo Mantione graduated in classical guitar at the Conservatorio Vincenzo Bellini in Caltanissetta in 2002. Subsequently, he studied with Maurizio Norrito in Palermo and Walter Zanetti in Bologna. During this period, he attended masterclasses with Alirio Díaz, Claudio Marcotulli, and François Laurent.
In 2004, he moved to Paris to attend Alberto Ponce’s classes at the École Normale de Musique ‘Alfred Cortot,’ where he obtained the Superior Diploma. In 2006, he won 1st prize at the G. Rospigliosi competition in Pistoia and 3rd prize at the Città di Parma competition. In 2007, he returned to Sicily, where he began his teaching career as a public school teacher. In 2013, he attended a classical guitar master’s program at the Conservatorio de Caltanissetta, performing with an original guitar by the famous luthier Nikolaus Georg Ries from 1820/30.
Fascinated by early music, he began studying the theorbo and five-course guitar. After a masterclass with Daniele Caminiti, he decided to take lute classes at the Conservatorio Antonio Scontrini in Trapani with Monica Pustilnik (since 2020). In this context, he deepened his knowledge of Baroque music with the theorbo and 13-course lute and basso continuo. There, he obtained a master’s degree in lute in 2023, presenting a recital entitled Trascrizioni e nova musica per Liuto: da Jean Baptyste Lully a Stephen Goss.
He has participated as continuo player in Il Combatimento di Tancredi e Clorinda and L’incoronazione di Poppea by Monteverdi at the Jesuit College in Trapani, with the Laboratorio Barocco Scontino. He collaborates with the singer Theresia Bothe in programs dedicated to the early 17th-century Italian vocal repertoire.
https://www.youtube.com/user/mantions84
ALEXANDRA PROVOST
Trained in lute (Renaissance and Baroque) and theorbo at the National Conservatory of Lyon, Regional Conservatory of Paris, departmental conservatories of Pantin and Évreux, and at Celles with professors such as Rolf Lislevand, Charles-Edouard Fantin, Benjamin Narvey, Clarie Antonini, Leonardo Loredo, and James Holland, Alexandra Provost, despite her youth, has collaborated with renowned ensembles such as Les Nouveau Charactères and prestigious conductors like Emmanuelle Haïm and Stéphane Fuguet. She has also participated in music workshops directed by Benjamin Perrot, Florence Bolton, and Catherine Deutsch and performed a duo concert with the renowned guitarist Raymond Cousté.
Besides attending master classes by great teachers like Hopkinson Smith and Paul O’dette, Alexandra has sought to expand her knowledge by attending seminars on other aspects of music, such as Baroque singing (Claire Leffilliâtre), Renaissance and Baroque dance (Ana Yepes), Gregorian chant (Marcel Pérès), and declamation (Pascale Boquet and Benoît Damant).
Jaume Vidal Llop was born in Reus in 1978. He studied at the Conservatory of the Liceu in Barcelona, graduating in 2007 in Modern Music and Jazz. He has taken various seminars organized by the Berklee College of Music and since then has combined teaching with collaboration in various artistic projects. His music is nourished by the improvised nature of jazz and different popular musics from around the world.
ANNA LLIMÓSAnna Llimós Vidal was born in Barcelona in 1989. She holds a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Barcelona and a master's degree in Humanities: Art, Literature, and Contemporary Cultures from the Open University of Catalonia. She has been awarded a scholarship by the Felícia Fuster Foundation, won the tenth edition of the Climent Muncunill i Roca prize, and the engraving category of the XXVI Joan Vilanova prize in Manresa. She has been a resident at Nau Estruch in Sabadell, Casa Aymat in Sant Cugat del Vallès, and has been part of the TCteamwork collective with artist Tom Carr. Among the exhibition spaces where she has shown her solo work are the Guinovart Foundation in Agramunt, Àmbit Art Gallery, and Olivart Art Gallery, with which she participated in the MARTE fair in Castellón de la Plana, the Cerdanyola Art Museum, the Can Manyé Art and Creation Space in Alella, and the Sala dels Trinitaris in Vilafranca del Penedès. Currently, she is developing the BCN Crea Grant and combines artistic creation with teaching.
2.-TEACHERS
Photo: Santi PerielHOPKINSON SMITHIn his pedagogical role, Hopkinson Smith is currently professor emeritus at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (where he has headed the chair of historical plucked string instruments since the late 1970s) and teaches postgraduate classes at the Institut für Hochschulentwicklung und Weiterbildung at the Musikakademie Basel. At the Schola Cantorum, he has trained musicians such as Rolf Lislevand, Xavier Díaz-Latorre, Evangelina Mascardi, Mónica Pustilnik, Cristina Pluhar, and Edin Karamazov. Besides teaching in Switzerland, he gives masterclasses in Europe, Asia, Australia, and America.
In Monistrol, Hopkinson Smith gave his masterclasses at the Joan Carles i Amat Academy 2023 and the Academy 2024, integrated into the first edition of the Joan Carles i Amat Festival.
https://www.hopkinsonsmith.com/ Photo: Santi PerielSOPHIE KLUSSMANNBesides being an excellent and versatile “all-round” singer, Sophie Klussmann is a vocational pedagogue, who since 2023 has been teaching at the Universität der Künste Berlin. In Monistrol, in 2024, she taught the historic singing course for the first time within the Joan Carles i Amat International Academy, integrated into the first edition of the Joan Carles i Amat Festival. This course was conducted in an interconnected manner with the instrument course of Hopkinson Smith.
https://www.sophieklussmann.de Photo: Santi PerielÀLEX GARROBÉÀlex Garrobé holds a PhD in Art History and Musicology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and in his role as a pedagogue, he has been a professor at the Higher Music Center of the Basque Country (MUSIKENE), at the Barcelona School of Music-UAB, and currently at the Higher School of Music of Catalonia (ESMUC). He also gives masterclasses worldwide.
In Monistrol de Montserrat, he taught the classical guitar course at the first edition of the Joan Carles i Amat International Academy, held in October 2023, and also at the second edition of the Academy, held in October 2024 as part of the first Joan Carles i Amat Festival.
https://www.alexgarrobe.com/about.html
GUILLEM PÉREZ-QUER Considered by specialized critics as a virtuosic guitarist with impeccable technique and exquisite sensitivity, capable of captivating all kinds of audiences in his concerts, Guillem Pérez-Quer is an internationally prestigious concert artist with a long career, having performed in the world’s most prominent auditoriums.
He studied with great masters such as Juan Fco. Garrido, Óscar Cáceres, Leo Brouwer, Betho Davezac, Eli Kassner, and the great guitarist María Luisa Anido – a student of Miquel Llobet – who considered him one of her best students.
Winner of prestigious awards such as the Manuel de Falla Interpretation Contest and the XXV International María Canals Competition, among others. He has three albums published with President Records Ltd. (London) together with his wife, Canadian guitarist Danielle Kassner, as part of the guitar duo Kassner&Quer.
He gives lectures and masterclasses worldwide and has been part of the jury for international competitions in many countries. He is the head of the Guitar Department at the Superior Conservatory of Music of the Liceu of Barcelona.
In Monistrol de Montserrat, he taught the classical guitar course at the first edition of the Joan Carles i Amat International Academy, held in October 2023.
https://guillemperezquer.com/
