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Juanjo Guillem
Valencia Spain
- Recognized by critics as "... an artist capable of the impossible, in addition to creating spectacle." , the Spanish percussionist Juanjo Guillem addresses the most different artistic proposals thanks to his innumerable artistic and technical resources acquired through his expansive performances in important concert halls around the world.
- Passionate about new creation from a young age, Guillem stands out for his commitment to the art of his time, performing works by the most representative composers of current music such as: Boulez, Ligeti, Berio, Carter, Aperghis, Stockhausen, Hosokawa, Xenakis, Manoury, Crumb, Reich, Sciarrino, Adams, etc ..., maintaining constant contact with current composers, many of whom dedicate their works to him. In his interest in expanding the repertoire of his instrument, he has commissioned and premiered more than 50 pieces from composers such as José Luis Turina, Jesús Torres, JM Sánchez Verdú, Mauricio Sotelo, Ramón Humet, Thierry Pecou, Gabriel Erkoreka and a long etc ... which makes him one of the musicians who have helped the most to publicize music written for percussion.
- Juanjo Guillem has performed numerous concerts for percussion and orchestra by composers such as Takemitsu, Cerha, Gubaidulina, Norgard, Tan Dun, Miyoshi, Macmillan, etc ... together with great groups such as Orq. National of Spain, Orq. Symphony of Barcelona, Orq. Madrid Symphony Orq. of the Chamber of Saint Petersburg, Orq. Chamber of Cascais (Portugal), Orq. of the Community of Madrid, Orq. from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria among others and with directors such as Josep Pons, José Ramón Encinar, Pablo González, Phillippe Bender, Jean Paul Penin or Mikhail Agrest. Noteworthy is his recording for Karios of “Vanishing point”, a concert for 2 percussionists and an orchestra by Cesar Camarero with the National Orchestra of Spain with Peter Hears.
- He develops his own projects as a soloist or with musicians such as Markus Stockhausen, the Arditti quartet or the pianist Eldar Nebolsin, performing in important concert halls in Europe, Asia and America such as the Salzburg Festival, Ljubljana International Fest, Madrid National Auditorium, Themus Fest . Gothenburg, Music d, Aujordhui-Perpinyan, China Conservatory, Senyang Concert Hall, Manhattan School of music, RNCM Manchester, Fest. From Monterrey, Museo Reina Sofía, Alicante Contemporary Music Festival or BBVA Festival performing programs that include the great masterpieces written for percussion such as Zyklus or Kontakte by KH Stockhausen, Circles by L. Berio, Drumming by S. Reich. Psappha and Pleiades by Xenakis, among others, as well as innovative creations by current composers that combine different performing arts.
- He also creates pedagogical shows for Neopercusion to disseminate and bring music closer to the youngest.
- His recordings include his two solo albums "And all this has happened to me because of the music" and "Deus ex maquina" and those made for different labels such as Karios, Verso, Naxos, Non profit music, Kusion, which include some of the most representative works written for percussion.
- Involved in the many facets of music, Juanjo Guillem created the Spanish Association of Percussionists, of which he was its first president, and in 1997 he organized the 3rd National Percussion Convention in Madrid. For 5 years he has been the artistic coordinator of the "Residencias" concert series organized by the Center for the dissemination of contemporary music at the Reina Sofía museum in Madrid and is currently the artistic director of the Ritmo Vital and Konekt @ rte Sonoro concert series that take place in Madrid and whose programming includes artistic manifestations of various arts and trends.
- As a composer, he has written a large number of pieces, most for percussion and has received commissions from various institutions such as the Center for the Diffusion of Contemporary Music, the Valencia Institute of Music and the Cuenca Religious Music Festival, some of which are regularly performed by different international groups.
- His pedagogical activity has been centered for many years in the Neopercussion Study Center and he has been a professor at the higher conservatories of Palma de Mallorca, Madrid and Zaragoza and has given master classes in countless prestigious schools such as the Manhattan School of Music in Nueva York, Royal Norther College of Manchester and Royal College and Royal Academie of London, conservatories of Amsterdam, Geneva, Basel, Strasbourg, Beijing, Seoul.
- Juanjo Guillem trained musically in Spain (Conservatories of Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona), France (CNR de Strasbourg) and England (RNCM Manchester).
- As an orchestral musician, at the age of 18, he was Timbalero and main percussionist of the Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. Two years later Principal percussionist of the Madrid Symphony Orchestra.
- At present and since 1999 he is Timbalero and main percussionist of the National Orchestra of Spain and professor-coordinator of the department of superior degree and of the Master of percussion of the Katerina Gurska Superior Center.
- Juanjo Guillem plays exclusively with Zildjian, Malletech, PBPmallets, Novapercusio-Remo, Promusin and JEFF Mallets percussion instruments.
- Currently working with PBPmallets on avant-garde drumstick design projects.
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