Artistic Director
Manel Valdivieso
He is the Artistic Director of the JONC since 2001.
Born in Barcelona, Manel Valdivieso studied music at Escolania de Montserrat and the Conservatories of Badalona and Barcelona. He completed his music education studying analysis with Benet Casablancas and orchestral direction with Antoni Ros-Marbà.
He has directed the main Spanish orchestras such as the orchestras of La Coruña, Granada, Tenerife, Madrid (the National Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of Madrid, the orchestra of RTVE), as well as the orchestras of Bilbao, Castilla y León, Santiago de Compostela, Córdoba, Sevilla, Principado de Asturias, Balears, etc. He also has a successful operatic career, having made his debut among other places at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Teatro Real de Madrid, the National Opera of Korea (Seul), the Washington DC Opera with titles such as the Elisir d’Amore, il Barbiere di Siviglia, Carmen, Lucia di Lammermoor, Il Trittico, Madama Buterfly, Il Trovatore, Turandot, Tosca, The Turn of the Screw, and other operas.
He has recorded several record projects based on the work of contemporary composers for Harmonia Mundi, Naxos, TV3-Catalunya Música and Columna Música.
Within his recent activity we can highlight the programmes with the Symphony Orchestra of Frankfurt-Oder (BSOF-Germany), BOS (Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao), OFM (Orquesta Filharmónica de Málaga), OCG (Orquesta Ciudad de Granada), ORTVE and Chamber Orchestra of Geneva (Switzerland).
Artistic Comittee
David Ballesteros
Professor of violin, chamber music and orchestra repertoire at Guildhall School of Music, London LSO’s Discovery Eastern Music Festival (US), New World Symphony Orchestra (US), Simon Bolivar Orchestra of Venezuela, Spanish Youth National Orchestra, Katarina Gurska Academy of Madrid, Pau Casals Music Course and Jove Orquestra Nacional de Catalunya.
His orchestral experience includes the Marinski Orchestra of San Petersburg, the Brandenburg Symphony of London, the Orchestra Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Euskadiko Orkestra and the Tenerife Symphony. He has worked with C. Davis, P. Boulez, C. Abbado and V. Gergiev, among others
He is a member of bandArt and a collaborator in various social integration activities.
Jaume Cortadellas
Flutist and pedagogue. General manager of the Conservatori Professional de Música de Badalona and Head of Department in the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu.
He has undertaken abundant symphonic activity and played as a soloist in orchestras such as the Orquestra del Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Granada and the Orquestra de Cambra del Palau de la Música. He is cofounder of the Orquestra de Cambra del Teatre Lliure along with Josep Pons and Lluis Vidal, with whom he has many recordings.
He has worked with the Orquestra Barroca Catalana, the Trio Classic in Barcelona and Il Fondamento. He is a member of the contemporary music group Grup 21 . He has accompanied many great catalan musicians such as Maria del Mar Bonet and Jaume Sisa.
He is a teacher in the International Music Course in Cervera and he is involved with the Fundacion Carolina.
Founder artistic Director
Josep Pons
Regarded as the leading Spanish conductor of his generation, Josep Pons has built strong relationships with the Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and BBC Symphony Orchestra – the latter including several appearances at the BBC Proms.
In addition to continuing these relationships, the 2016/17 season will see Pons return to City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne. He will also debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Konzerthausorchester Berlin.
As Music Director of Gran Teatre del Liceu he conducts a number of productions in Barcelona each season, most recently Così fan tutte, Benvenuto Cellini, and Siegfried (as part of an ongoing cycle of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen). This season he will give opera performances of Le Nozze di Figaro, Elektra, Don Giovanni. He also holds the position of Honorary Conductor of the Orquesta Nacional de España having previously served as their Artistic Director for nine years during which he substantially raised their international profile. He was Music Director of Orquesta Ciudad de Granada between 1994-2004.
Josep Pons’ discography of over 50 CDs and DVDs, includes recordings of Falla and French repertoire regarded as benchmark interpretations and earning numerous awards. His recording of Noches en los jardines de España with Javier Perianes won a Choc de la Musique, ‘Melancolía’ with Patricia Petibon received a Gramophone Editor’s Choice, and his collaboration with Tomatito earned him a Latin Grammy. This season starts with an album release of Berio’s Sinfonia and Mahler/Berio’s 10 Frühe Lieder with BBC Symphony Orchestra and Matthias Goerne, which won Choc de la musique and Ffff Telerama awards and was among the 10 Best CD’s of the year of Presto Classical.
Josep Pons began his musical training at the prestigious Escolanía de Montserrat. The secular tradition and intense study of both Polyphony and contemporary music in this centre marked his later development both musically and intellectually. In 1999 he received the Spanish National Music Prize for his outstanding work on twentieth century music.
His latest album has been recorded by Hamnonia Mundi with Javier Perianes and the Orchestre de Paris with works by Ravel.
As a muscial director of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, he runs numerous productions in Barcelona, where this season has premiered a successful Turandot commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Liceu and will lead the Lohengrin of Katharina Wagner next March.
Recently, he has been distinguished with the recognition of Doctor honoris causa from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
