Artists and teachers
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 great scholar of the works of Joan Carles i Amat, and later moved to Switzerland to study lute with Eugene Dombois at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. There, together with Jordi Savall, he founded Hespèrion XX, with which he collaborated for ten years. Since the mid-80s, he has focused on solo performance, and since then he has accumulated recordings, concerts, and masterclasses worldwide.
Among the recognitions for his extensive discography, highlights include reviews in media such as the New York Times, Grammophone, and BBC Music magazines, and the three Dyapason d’Or awards for recordings of John Dowland (2005), Francesco da Milano (2009), and Johann Sebastian Bach (2013).
He lives in Basel (Switzerland), where he is an emeritus professor at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and currently teaches postgraduate courses at the Institut für Hochschulentwicklung und Weiterbildung of the Musikakademie Basel. At the Schola Cantorum, he has trained, among many others, musicians such as Rolf Lislevand, Xavier Díaz-Latorre, Evangelina Mascardi, and Edin Karamazov. In addition to teaching in Switzerland, he gives masterclasses in Europe, Asia, Australia, and America.
On September 24, 2022, Hopkinson Smith was the protagonist of the Commemorative Concert of the 450th anniversary of Joan Carles i Amat in Monistrol de Montserrat, alongside actress Sílvia Bel. And on October 11, 2023, he headlined the Inaugural Concert of the Joan Carles i Amat International Academy, also in Monistrol, together with soprano Sophie Klussmann.
https://www.hopkinsonsmith.com/Photo: Marco BorggreveSOPHIE KLUSSMANNBorn in Freiburg (Germany), Sophie Klussmann studied at the music conservatories of Detmold and Cologne. Her awards include the Mozart Competition in Würzburg and the Trude Eiperte Stiftung. She is a versatile concert, opera, and recital singer who has worked with conductors such as V. Jurowski, H. Rilling, I. Metzmacher, M. Janowski, M. Gielen, and M. Bosch, and with orchestras such as: 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' German Requiem. In the field of opera, she has sung soprano parts such as Pamina, Nanneta, Dorinda, Wellgunde, and Waldvogel. In 2021/22, she sang the leading role in "The Merry Widow" by Franz Léhar at the State Theatre of Cottbus.
In the field of early music, she has worked with the Akademie für Alte Musik, Collegium 1704, and the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century. Recently, she has started collaborating with lutenist Hopkinson Smith. In the field of contemporary music, she has recorded works by Kurtág, Ligeti, and Stockhausen, and in the lied, she has performed at the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Kempen Festival, and Stift Festival Holland. Her recordings include: Dixit Dominus by Handel (Harmonia Mundi), songs by Karl Weigl (Capriccio), and songs by S. Gervasoni (Cine Forum Venezia).
Since 2023, she has been a professor at the Universität auf Künste Berlin. And on October 11 of that year, Sophie Klussmann headlined the Inaugural Concert of the Joan Carles i Amat International Academy in Monistrol de Montserrat, alongside Hopkinson Smith.
https://www.sophieklussmann.deNATXO TARRÉSNatxo Tarrés (Barcelona, 1974) describes himself as “a passionate, nonconformist, entrepreneurial person who looks at the horizon every day to receive inspiration and keep moving forward.”
Among his activities in the artistic field are: member of the Manresa-based musical group Gossos (from 1993 to 2018), with whom he has recorded more than 30 albums; promoter of the project
Natxo Tarrés & The Wireless, in tribute to Bob Marley (2011 and subsequent years); member of the theater group
Sèmola Teatre (between 2000 and 2005); member of the
Acadèmia Catalana de la Música and trustee of the
Fundació Vozes (music for peace and integration).
He has also promoted projects that involve the interaction of music and sound in people, music therapy, altered states of consciousness, and specific workshops for the elderly.
Motivated by issues of sustainability, ecology, holism, social transformation, or mediation, he is involved in movements such as
Irehom, Institute of Ecotechnics, Universimés, Treeangle Fundation, or
Xarxa Global,
País Conscient i Inspiració 2022, etc. Between 2011 and 2015, he was the Culture Coordinator for the
Pla Nacional de Valors promoted by the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Since 2018, he has organized 2- or 3-day “retreats” called
Silenci, música i interioritat in the natural surroundings of Montserrat.
Photo: Plebeyos BailesBELISANA RUÍZBorn in Soria, she moved to Barcelona, where in 2009 she obtained her degree in Classical Guitar at ESMUC under the direction of Àlex Garrobé, and in 2014, her degree in Historical Plucked String Instruments under the direction of Xavier Díaz-Latorre, at the same institution.
She has performed in festivals and venues such as the Joan Brudieu International Festival, the Segovia Young Festival, the David Russell International Course in Tudela, the Barcelona Auditorium, the Glazunov Hall in Saint Petersburg, the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, and the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, among others. With the guitar quartet Barcelona4Guitars, she has offered concerts at the Pi Church and the Palau de la Música Catalana. She has collaborated with Musicologics in the project “The best guitar collection in the world” at the Museu de la Música in Barcelona, where she performed concerts with original guitars from the museum's collection.
She has also participated in numerous ensembles specializing in historical performance such as Mara Aranda, Sarao de Musas, Academia 1750, La Grande Chapelle, and Le Concert des Nations. She is part of the groups Canto Basso, WorkinGOpera, La Sonorosa, Seicento is Alive, and Tañer. With La Sonorosa, she recorded the CD Vida Bona, focusing on the music of Luis de Briceño for the label 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, they released their first album, IM-POSIBLES, dedicated to 17th-century instrumental dances, published by Lindoro.
https://belisanaruiz.wixsite.com/belisanaruizFIX NICOLETOriginally from France, François Xavier 'Fix' Nicolet studied at the conservatories of Rennes, Orleans, and Strasbourg. He has specialized in early music (Vieilles Musiques d’Estrasburg festivals, residency 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 participates with the ensembles Sons de Fusta i Cristall (with flutist Montserrat Gascón), Tangozzolla (with Maria Perera, violin), and with Ensemble Fluido (dedicated to the dissemination of contemporary repertoire).
Fix Nicolet has developed an important international career, playing 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 for the labels AxBMusic, La Mà de Guido, and CapitalSound. For over 20 years, he has been dedicated to pedagogy and is a teacher at the Municipal School of Music of l'Ametlla del Vallès, the Professional Conservatory of La Creu Alta, and the Escola Pia de Sabadell.
STÉPHANIE BRIOTAfter beginning her musical practice with piano studies at the Toulon Conservatory, she continued her studies as a music therapist, a profession she currently practices.
Her singing practice began at the age of 7 in a children's choir. Later, she trained in lyrical singing with Francine Jullien-Gouzes around the age of 20. She also participated as a singer in various early music choirs (
Ensemble Vocal de Montpellier and
Ensemble Universitaire).
She is following several training courses on the human voice with the
Roy Hart Theatre.
Starting in 2021, she began collaborating with lutenist Pascal Pittorino, with whom she created a duo to perform French songs, traditional music, and poetic voice. They are currently working on a Renaissance repertoire of John Dowland, Claudin de Sermisy, and Jean Chardavoine with voice and lute.
ANTONI GUIROLA
Born in Monistrol de Montserrat, Antoni Guirola, professionally dedicated to a sector unrelated to music, is nonetheless a passionate enthusiast of Iberian percussion (in which he has completed numerous courses). He is self-taught and an amateur, and for over thirty years he has been involved with various popular and folkloric percussion groups.
Within the associative sphere of Monistrol in particular, he is currently the leader of
Els Tronats, a batucada created in 1995 that accompanies the popular Diables at local festivals.
BELÉN ESTIVALBelén
Estival is an instrumentalist, musicologist, and educator. She
graduated as a Superior Professor of Guitar from the Conservatorio
Superior de Madrid under the guidance of José Luis Rodrigo. Her interest
in historical music led her to specialize in Renaissance and Baroque
plucked string instruments at the Conservatoire de Musique de Neuchâtel
(Switzerland), where she obtained her advanced degree in Renaissance
lute under the guidance of Jorge Fresno and Rose Mª Meister. She has
completed specialization courses in the interpretation of early music
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 Universidad de la Rioja and is currently pursuing a
Ph.D. at the same university on the interpretation of vihuela music.
As
a guitarist, lutenist, and vihuelist, she regularly performs concerts
with groups like La Lira Nocturna, Due Voci, and L’ Allegrezza, in
addition to 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
Semanas de Música Religiosa de Cuenca, Jornadas de Musicología de la
UCLM, Cicles de Música a la Capella de la Universidad de Valencia,
Festival Internacional de Música Antiga de Xàtiva, and Seminario
Internazionale di Musica Antica de Santu Lussurgiu (Italy). As a
musicologist, she has collaborated as a musical advisor at the Fundación
Juan March and currently participates in a lecture series at the
Department of Hispanic Studies at Connecticut College (USA). She has
taught at the Universidad de Castilla la Mancha, in Secondary Education,
and in various professional conservatories in the Community of Madrid.
ALEXANDRA PROVOST
Trained in lute (Renaissance and Baroque) and theorbo at the National Conservatory of Lyon, the Regional Conservatory of Paris, and the departmental conservatories of Pantin and Évreux, as well as at the Celles Conservatory, under 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 with prestigious conductors like Emmanuelle Haïm and Stéphane Fuguet. She has also participated in musical workshops led by Benjamin Perrot, Florence Bolton, and Catherine Deutsch and performed in a duo concert with the esteemed guitarist Raymond Cousté.
In addition to attending courses with great masters such as 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).
Born
in Agrigento (Sicily - Italy) in 1984, Raimondo Mantione graduated in
classical guitar from the Conservatorio Vincenzo Bellini in
Caltanissetta in 2002. Later, he studied with Maurizio Norrito in
Palermo and Walter Zanetti in Bologna. During this time, he attended
masterclasses with Alirio Díaz, Claudio Marcotulli, and François
Laurent.
In 2004, he moved to Paris to study with Alberto Ponce at
the École Normale de Musique ‘Alfred Cortot’, where he obtained his
Advanced Diploma. In 2006, he won the 1st prize at the G. Rospigliosi
competition in Pistoia and the 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 master's
program in classical guitar at the Conservatorio de Caltanissetta,
performing with an original guitar by the renowned luthier Nikolaus
Georg Ries from 1820/30.
Fascinated by early music, he began studying
theorbo and five-course guitar. After a masterclass with Daniele
Caminiti, he decided to study lute 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. He obtained his master's degree in
lute in 2023, presenting a recital titled "Trascrizioni e nova musica
per Liuto: da Jean Baptyste Lully a Stephen Goss."
He has
participated as a continuo player in productions such as Il
Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda and L’incoronazione di Poppea by
Monteverdi at the Col•legi dels Jesuïtes de Trapani, with Laboratorio
Barocco Scontino. He collaborates with the singer Theresia Bothe on
programs dedicated to early 17th-century Italian vocal repertoire.
https://www.youtube.com/user/mantions84 TRIO DESCONCIERTOFormed
by three highly esteemed guitarists, David Font from Andorra, Gian
Carlo Scevola, a Chilean resident in Gràcia (Barcelona), and Simón
Maisano, an Argentine resident in Sants (Barcelona), Trio Desconcierto
has been offering unique and innovative concerts since 2016. Their
unmistakable hallmark is reflected in a fresh and original
interpretative identity. Subtlety, energy, dynamics, and colors are the
distinctive features of their performances, creating unique and elegant
repertoires full of sensitivity and with a thematic unity and marked
aesthetic character. As chamber music enthusiasts, their members focus
their work on two main axes: original compositions and their own
adaptations across a wide variety of styles. Through their performances,
Trio Desconcierto achieves a special and unique connection with their
audience.
https://www.triodesconcierto.com/
ESBART MONISTROL DANSAIREEsbart Monistrol Dansaire was founded on September 22, 1990. Sponsored by Esbart Sabadell Dansaire, it made its first appearance in Monistrol on April 21, 1991. It is a member of the Agrupament d’Esbarts Dansaires de Catalunya. The entity aims to gather, preserve, teach, and promote the traditional dances of the Catalan Countries, always striving to offer and maintain this folklore in its purest form possible.
The general characteristic of Esbart's dances is their simple and austere simplicity, and therefore, their natural distinction and elegance, devoid of any exaggeration or contrived effect. What Esbart Monistrol Dansaire aims to showcase in its performances is as simple as the culture, history, and character recovered from Catalan villages.
Currently, Esbart consists 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 in costume design.
The mission of this entity is nothing other than the motivation to maintain a living tradition and at the same time enjoy the maximum possibilities to showcase our culture everywhere.
TEACHERSPhoto: Santi PerielHOPKINSON SMITHHopkinson Smith's curriculum in the 'Artists' section
Photo: Marco BorggreveSOPHIE KLUSSMANNSophie Klussmann's curriculum in the 'Artists' section
Photo: Santi PerielÀLEX GARROBÉSince winning the 1st Prize in the Fundación Guerrero Guitar Competition and the Juventudes Musicales de España Competition, his concert career has taken him to over forty countries, performing in prestigious international venues such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Radio France Auditorium in Paris, National Auditorium in Madrid, Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, and the Lutowslasky Auditorium in Warsaw.
He has premiered works by various contemporary composers, highlighting Salvador Brotons' Concerto Mare Nostrum, Agustí Charles' ...di un soffio d’aura, and Simone Iannarelli's Concierto de Petrer (each as a soloist with orchestra).
With a PhD in Art History and Musicology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, he has taught at the Higher School of Music of the Basque Country (MUSIKENE), the School of Music of Barcelona-UAB, and currently teaches at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC). He also conducts masterclasses worldwide.
He has released six CDs under the labels Harmonia Mundi, Opera Tres, and Columna Musica. After listening to his CD dedicated to British composers, Sir Malcolm Arnold commented, "A masterful interpretation," adding, "It's gratifying to hear music interpreted so magnificently."
Àlex Garrobé taught classical guitar at the first edition of the Joan Carles i Amat International Academy, held in Monistrol de Montserrat in October 2023.
https://www.alexgarrobe.com/about.html
ANDERS CLEMENS ØIEN Born in Oslo (Norway) in 1976, Anders Clemens Øien began playing guitar at the age of 12. He graduated in 1999 from the Koninklijk Konservatorium in The Hague. In 2000, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain, he moved to Barcelona, where he completed his postgraduate studies at the Luthier School of Musical Arts with Àlex Garrobé and Sadahiro Otani, graduating Cum Laude. He furthered his education with masterclasses with David Russell, Marco Smaili, Marco Socias, Fernando Rodríguez, Manuel Barrueco, and John Williams.
He has been awarded prizes in international competitions such as Infanta Cristina-J. Guerrero (Madrid), José Tomás (Petrer-Alacant), Julian Arcas (Almería), and Alhambra (Valencia), with the Andrés Segovia Competition (Granada, 2003) marking the beginning of his international career. Since then, he has performed concerts throughout Europe, Kazakhstan, South Korea, and Brazil. Notable recent performances include playing the Concierto de Aranjuez under the baton of Juanjo Mena with the Oslo Philharmonic. Anders Clemens is a frequent guest at major festivals in Norway, Korea, France, Finland, and Spain.
An artist of the Nordic Sound record label, Anders Clemens has recorded six CDs: Romanza (2003), Sonatas (2005), Recuerdos de Tàrrega (2008), Fernando Sor - Selected works (2010), Alexander Tansman - Selected works (2018), and Manuel Ponce - Selected works (2021). He is also the artistic director of the International Guitar Festival of l’Hospitalet de l’Infant and teaches at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Aragón.
https://www.facebook.com/andersclemensoien/
