The Camerata
CONDUCTOR
JACOBO CHRISTENSEN,
violin and conductor
Jacobo Christensen (1999) has received prizes in musical contests in Spain, Switzerland and France, among other countries. He started playing the violin at the age of three with teachers C. Roig, V. Balaguer and M. Spivak. He studied under Zakhar Bron at the Queen Sofía Music Conservatory and Salvatore Accardo at the Stauffer Foundation in Cremona. He has received tuition from G. Shaham, V. Mullova, V. Repin, M. Rizzi, B. Kushnir, M. Martin, B. Belkin, I. Gitlis and S. Marcovici, and has played in Spain, the United States, China, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy, Austria, Slovaquia, Hungary and Portugal under the baton of J. Carewe, Z. Mehta, G. Dudamel, P. Eötvös, A. Orozco-Estrada, J. Mena and A. Schiff, among others. He founded the Nostrum Mare Camerata orchestra in 2021.
VIOLINS
ROMAN KHOLMATOV
Grand Prix, Renaissance International Music Contest (Gyumrí, Armenia, 2015); 3rd Prize, Eugène Ysaÿe International Violin Competition (Lieja, Bélgica, 2018); 1st Prize, Mirecourt International Violin Competition (Mirecourt, France, 2018); 2nd Prize, Vasco Abadjiev International Violin Competition (Sofia, Bulgaria, 2019); 3rd Prize, CullerArts International Violin Contest (Cullera, España, 2020); 1st Prize and Prix de Sonorité, Marie Cantagrill International Violin Competition (Saint-Girons, France, 2021) ~ see full CV
Innés romaguera
First Prize in the XII edition of the Chamber Music Competition (L’Alcora, Castellón) with the Trio Euterpe; three-time winner of the Chamber Music Competition Ciudad de Llanes (Asturias) with the string quartet Día Armónico; winner of the Chamber Music Competition Jesús del Monasterio in Madrid with the Bran Quartet. Innés received the Prize for Extraordinary Studies from the Royal Conservatory of Music of Madrid ~ see full CV
PAU ANDREU
Pau received First Prize in the City of Xàtiva Young Performers Contest in 2023 and in the City of Villena Violin Contest. He was also awarded the Prize for Extraordinary Studies in Violin upon graduating from the Torrent Conservatory. He has participated in the Festival Academy of Budapest and has performed at the Palau de la Música in Valencia, Palau de les Arts, Palau de la Música Catalana, the Catalonia National Auditorium, the Spanish National Auditorium in Madrid and the Liszt Ferenc Academy in Budapest ~ see full CV
ANNA BENAVENT
Prize for Extraordinary Studies in Violin and Piano at the Chella Music Conservatory. Studies at the Joaquín Rodrigo Higher Conservatory of Music in Valencia and the Fryderyk Chopin Music University. Further studies with violinist Joaquín Torre. Master’s degree in Spanish Music at the Royal Madrid Higher Conservatory. Masterclasses with E. Palomares, V. Balaguer, V. Vassilev, A. León Ara, Lorenzo Lucca and Stephan Hempel ~ see full CV
Belén Clari
Belén was awarded the Extraordinary Prize for Violin upon completing her professional degree at the Torrent Conservatorio de Torrent. In 2019, she was selected for the Concertgebouworkest RCO Young project, a program for young European talents aged 14 to 17, performing at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and Flagey in Brussels ~ see full CV
MARÍA FERRANDO
María is a soloist with the Valldigna Orchestra and is a member of the Federal Orchestra and the Holy Week Sacred Music Orchestra of Cuenca. She has been a member of the Barenboim-Said Academy of Orchestral Studies with professor Miguel Colom and of the Spanish National Youth Orchestra. She holds a master’s degree in Orchestral Studies from Musikene, studying under professors Aitzol Iturriagagoitia and Xabier Gil ~ see full CV
JÚLIA FERRIOL
Julia has been a member of the Jong Metropole from the Netherlands, Orquestra Segle XXI, Spanish National Youth Orchestra of Spain, and the Youth Orchestra of the Region of Valencia. She has participated in events with the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana, the Wiener Jeunesse Orchester and the Bruckner Akademie Orchester in Munich. Julia was awarded the Extraordinary Prize at the end of her undergraduate studies in Violin. She completed her advanced studies with honors for her Research Thesis. In December 2023, she premiered Enric Rodríguez-Llorens’ Concertino for Violin and Wind Band ~ see full CV
MARÍA GIL
Advanced violin performance studies at the Aragon Music Conservatory with violinist Josep Colomé. Member and concertmaster of the Youth Orchestra of the Region of Valencia and the Euskal Herria Youth Orchestra ~ see full CV
cecilia novella
Winner of the First Leonel Morales & Friends International Violin Competition, Cecilia has performed at prestigious venues including the Palau de les Arts, Gran Teatro del Liceu, Teatro Real, the Spanish National Auditorium, the Kölner Philharmonie, Harpa Hall in Reykjavík and the Royal Concertgebouw. She has played under the baton of Daniel Harding, Eugene Drucker and Cristóbal Soler. She has been a member of the Madrid Symphony Orchestra and the Youth Orchestra of the Royal Concertgebouw. In 2023, she performed as concertmaster with the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra, under the baton of James Gaffigan ~ see full CV
Anna Sanchís
Anna is a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra and of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe Academy. She has been part of the Spanish National Youth Orchestra, the Casals Quartet Camerata and the Catalonian National Youth Orchestra. She has been the concertmaster of the Valencia Youth Orchestra and made her solo debut with them at the Palau de les Arts. She holds the position of First Violin Tutti in the Orquesta del Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía ~ see full CV
VIOLAS
JOAQUÍN ARIAS
1st Prize in the Inter-centre Melómano Contest and the Llanes International Music Contest. Pupil of Diemut Poppen. Masterclasses with Mimi Zweig, Daniel Dodds, Natalia Prishepenko Christoph Poppen and Miriam Fried.Performances at the San Sebastián Quincena Musical, the Bilbao Musika Festival and the Musethica International Festival. Awarded 1st prize for viola by the Spanish National Orchestra ~ see full CV
Álvaro García
First prize at the Villa de Molina Competition; Third prize at the Entre Cuerdas y Metales Competition; First prize at the Summa Cum Laude Competition with the Youth Orchestra of the Province of Alicante at the Musikverein in Vienna; Third prize at the International Viola Competition Villa de Llanes; First prize at the regional edition, second prize, and the Best String Performer Award at the national edition of the Intercentros Competition in 2016 ~ see full CV
ALBERTO MARQUÉS
Alberto is a violist with the Youth Symphony of the Region of Valencia, the Orchestra of the Federation of Musical Societies of the Region of Valencia, and the University of Valencia’s Philharmonic Orchestra. He has collaborated with numerous orchestras in the Region of Valencia and is a member of the Valencia Symphony Orchestra. He pursued his Master’s studies at Musikene (Basque Country) ~ see full CV
PABLO SILVESTRE
Pablo received the Prize for Extraordinary Studies in viola when he graduated from the Melcior Gomis Conservatory in Ontinyent. He has been a member of the Spanish National Youth Orchestra, the Orchestre National des Jeunes du Luxembourg and the Universal Korean Organic Ensemble and has collaborated with the Valencia Symphony Orchestra, the Alicante Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Federation of Musical Societies of the Region of Valencia, among others. He is part of the Chamber Music Orchestra of Valencia and the Saturnals Orchestra ~ see full CV
MARÍA ALMELA
María was awarded the Prize for Extraordinary Studies in viola when she completed her courses at the Conservatory in Carcaixent, She has collaborated with the Euskadiko Orkestra, the Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa, the Orchestra of the Kingdom of Aragon, the Kamerata Euskdivarius and the Bilbao Sinfonieta. She is a member of the Mediterranean Chamber Orchestra, Carpe Diem Chamber Orchestra St. Petersburg and Valencia Film Symphony. She pursued a master’s and postgraduate studies at Musikene with Josep Puchades and Karsten Dobers ~ see full CV
CELLOS
ALEJANDRO VIANA
First prizes at the International Cello Competition in Liezen, Austria; the Jaime Dobato Benavente Competition in Alcañiz; the Antonio Janigro Competition in Poreč, Croatia; the Manhattan Competition; Soncello; and the Karl Davidoff Competition in Kuldiga, Latvia. Alejandro is part of the Classe d’Excellence at the Fondation Louis Vuitton with Gautier Capuçon and recently made his debut at Carnegie Hall. He is currently a member of the Staatskapelle Berlin ~ see full CV
GUILLERMO ÚBEDA
Guillermo holds a bachelor’s degree in musicology from the Sorbonne University and in cello performance from the conservatories of Paris and Boulogne-Billancourt. He has studied with Xavier Gagnepain and Eric Picard, principal cellist of the Orchestre de Paris. Together with the Alicante Youth Orchestra, he participated in the Summa Cum Laude Competition in Vienna, winning in the 2017 and 2018 editions ~ see full CV
POL ALABORT
Member of the Alcoi Symphony Orchestra since 2016, of the Alcoi Resident Quarter and of the Youth Orchestra of the Region of Valencia. Performances with the Symphony Orchestra of the Region of Murcia, the Youth Orchestra of the Region of Murcia, the Balearic Islands’ Orchestra Encounters, the Karlsruhe Junge Philharmonie and the Mediterranean Music Festival. Pupil of cellist David Apellániz. Masterclasses with Michal Dmochowski, Xavier Gagnepain, Aldo Mata, Fernando Arias, Eduardo Vassallo and Alim Shakh ~ see full CV
CLAUDIA PANACH
Professional Music Award in the specialty of Cello, Claudia has been a member of the Eutherpe Chamber Orchestra of Valencia, the chamber group of the León Youth Orchestra and the Orfeón Manuel Palau Orchestra. She has refined her skills with Rafal Jezierski ~ see full CV
DOUBLE BASS
ROBERTO SANHERMELANDO
Roberto received the Prize for Extraordinary Studies in double bass and is a member of the Spanish National Youth Orchestra and of the Symphonic Academy of the Symphony Orchestra of the Balearic Islands. He performs with the Valencia Youth Orchestra, the Catalonia Youth Orchestra and the Youth Orchestra of the Federation of Musical Societies of the Region of Valencia ~ see full CV
instrumental singers
MARINA CUESTA, cello and soprano
Winner of the XI Zarzuela Competition of Valleseco and awarded at the V Josep Palet Singing Competition in Martorell. Marina has participated in various stage productions (Così fan tutte, The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, The Tales of Hoffmann…) and has performed with the Orchestra of the Federation of Musical Societies of the Region of Valencia and the University of Valencia’s Orchestra at the Palau de la Música and Palau de les Arts in Valencia ~ see full CV
BLANCA RUIZ, double bass and soprano
Blanca is a soprano, double bass player and Fine Arts graduate. She received the Extraordinary Prize upon completing her advanced singing studies, the Singing Prize of the Region of Valencia and the Prize for Extraordinary Studies at graduation from the José Iturbi Conservatory. She debuted in the role of Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia in the “Ópera de Sofá” project at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia, and has portrayed Madama Cortese in Il Viaggio a Reims, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte and the roles of the Shepherdess and the Chinese Cup in L’enfant et les sortilèges ~see full CV
CARMEN LÁzaro, viola and mezzosoprano
Mezzosoprano, violist and clarinetist. Prize for Extraordinary Studies in Voice at the Velluters Music Conservatory in Valencia. Winner of the Prize for Voice from the Region of Valencia, Winner of the Mariana Pérez Paz scholarship, 2nd Prize and Young Promise Prize in the Third Alcalá de Henares International Lyric Song Contest. At the Joaquín Rodrigo Higher conservatory of Music, Studies under Department Head Gloria Fabuel ~ see full CV
guest musicians
RAQUEL AREAL, VIOLiN
First Prize and Revelation Prize at the International Competition Cidade de Fundão; First Prize at the XV International Santa Cecilia Competition; First Prize at the International Competition “Cidade de Vigo”; First Prize at the Lipinski & Wieniawski Violin International Competition. Student of Zakhar Bron and Yuri Volguin.
PATRICIA CORDERO, violin
First Prize at the Violins for Peace, Cidade Vigo, Intercentros Melómano Madrid, Soloists of the Talents Project of the Madrid Symphony Orchestra, Ciutat de Llíria and Francesco Geminiani competitions. She also won Second Prize at the XXV Andrea Postacchini International Competition and the Ciutat de Xàtiva competition.
ALEXIS HATCH, VIOLiN
International “Young Artist” Prize from the ASCAP Foundation Lieber and Stoller in New York, Laureate Prize at the Stulberg International String Competition (Michigan), Grand Prize at the Hennings-Fischer Competition in Los Angeles, and the Toronto Sinfonietta Concerto Competition. First Prize and Audience Award at the CullerArts International Violin Competition in Valencia (Spain).
Sergiu Ionescu, violin
First Prize at the Ruperto Chapí Young Performers, Betxí Instrumental Performance, Young Performers in Llíria, and Girona Performance and Composition competitions. He also won Second Prize at the Sant Andreu de la Barca International Music Competition and the Sant Anastasi Lleida competition, and Third Prize at the Mozart Competition in Romania and the Ariau Instrumental Competition in Barcelona. He is a current member of the Navarre Symphony Orchestra.
RUBÉN MENDOZA, violin
First Prize at the Violins for Peace International Competition; First Prize at the National Chamber Music Competition of Manresa (Barcelona); and First Prize at the Ecoparque de Trasmiera International Chamber Music Competition (Cantabria). He has been a guest soloist with the Dominican Republic National Symphony Orchestra, Athens State Orchestra, Royal Seville Symphony Orchestra and Málaga Philharmonic, among others.
Arnau Moncunill, VIOLiN
Arnau was the recipient of the Prize for Extraordinary Studies upon completion of this final year at the Alicante Music Conservatory and was selected to participate in the Talented Students Project organized by the Madrid Symphony Orchestra, performing at the Spanish National Auditorium. He has been a member oof the Youth Orchestra of the Alicante Province since 2014, acting as concertmaster and debuting as a soloist at the age of 12 during tours in Austria and the Netherlands.
DAVID RUIZ, violin
David is the First Prize winner in the XXIV International Music Competition of Benidorm in 2023. In the same competition, he was also given the Special Prize from the City of Benidorm Council’s and the Special Prize by the audience. At the age of fourteen, he was awarded a scholarship to attend the Piccoli Virtuosi high-performance school in Switzerland, where he studied violin and chamber music for three years with Andrey Baranov, Andrés Gabetta and Pavel Vernikov. He is pursuing a double degree in Violin Performance and Pedagogy at ESMAR.
Mikhail Spivak, VIOLiN
A direct student of Igor Oistrakh, Mikhail Spivak is the First Prize winner of the “Rameau” Competition in France and a laureate of the “Pablo Sarasate” Competition in Pamplona. He has been a member of the chamber orchestra “Moscow Virtuosi,” directed by Vladimir Spivakov, with whom he has performed in the world’s most prestigious concert halls. Spivak is a principal member of the “Glinka Trio” and serves as the concertmaster of the Orquesta de la Generalitat Valenciana at the Palau de les Arts.
HÉCTOR DIEGO VARGAS, VIOLiN
Awarded at the Young Performers Competition of the Joan Garcés Queralt School of Music on two occasions, the International Music Festival of Burgos, the Young Musicians Competition of Canet d’En Berenguer and the Orpheo Award for the best academic record in Professional Music Studies in his region in 2019.
Irene Juan, VIOLA
Recipient of the Extraordinary Award for Professional Studies in Viola at the Conservatory of Torrent (Valencia), Irene Juan also won Third Prize at the XXIV Vicent Galbis Musical Performance Award. She is a founding member of the Capellans Quartet and has studied under Santiago Cantó, Pilar Marí, and David Fons. Currently pursuing advanced studies at the Conservatory of Valencia with Francesc Gaya.
MONTSE EGEA, cello
First Prize at the Permanent Competition of Juventudes Musicales de España and EMCY Prize. First Prize at the Jaime Dobato Benavente Young Cello Talents Competition (2012 and 2014) and Third Prize at the Dotzauer International Competition in Dresden (2009 and 2013). She also received the EMCY Prize from Juventudes Musicales as a member of the Óscar Esplá Quartet.
Ànnia Armengol, cello
Member of the National Youth Orchestra of Catalonia, European Youth Orchestra Academy in Mannheim and Myrtus Musik Chamber Orchestra. She completed her Professional Cello Studies with honors at the age of 16. Ànnia is a student of David Apellániz and has taken masterclasses with Cristoforo Pestalozzi, Eduardo Vassallo, Erica Wise, Xavier Gagnepain, Fernando Arias, and members of the Quartet Gerhard and Dalia Quartet.
VICENTE DAVID MARTÍN, harpsichord
First Prizes at the Maestro Serrano Piano Competition, Ciutat de Palmanyola and Espai Mompou competitions. He also won Third Prize and the Special Press Award at the International Lied and Mélodie Competition in Lyon, as well as an award for Best Accompanying Pianist at the JJMM Singing Competition. He holds a Master’s degree in Musical Research from the University of Murcia.
ADRIÀ GRÀCIA, harpsichord
Second Prize at the Gianni Gambi Harpsichord Competition in Pesaro and the Prix Marinette Extermann-Groux for his qualities as Maestro al Cembalo. He also won Second Prize with Ensemble MATIS at the Telemann International Competition (2013, Magdeburg) and First Prize with La Guirlande at the Gijón Early Music Festival (2016).
Luis Fernández, clarinet
Awarded at Rising Star Berlin, First Palau, Vienna International Competition and Juventudes Musicales de España. His recordings The Singing Clarinet (Orpheus Classical), Leonardo Balada’s Chamber Music (Naxos) and Concert Valencià have been praised by critics. He has recorded for RNE, Catalunya Ràdio, Transópera, Deutsche Grammophon, IVC and PrimTON. Since 2016, he has been a Henri Selmer-Paris Artist and a Vandoren-Paris Artist.
Vicente Romero, flute
Professional Award in the specializations of flute and chamber music. He was awarded a scholarship to study with Magdalena Martínez at the Higher School of Musical Performance (ESMAR). He is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s degree in music at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Kersten McCall, Vincent Cortvrint, and Mariya Semotyuk. He specializes in historical traverso flutes with Marten Root and Anna Besson.
ÁLVARO MÁRQUEZ, OBOE
Honors Award in Oboe and an Honorary Mention in Composition. He is a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Catalonia and has collaborated with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Castellón, University of Valencia Philharmonic Orchestra, Youth Symphony Orchestra of Vallés, Youth Orchestra of the Generalitat Valenciana and the FSMCV Youth Symphony Orchestra.
SONIA RINCÓN, OBOE
She has collaborated with the Leonora Orchestra (Pistoia, Italy), Vallés Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Musicalis Symphony Orchestra, Ibiza Youth Symphony Orchestra, University of Valencia Philharmonic Orchestra, Kaimerata, Bruckner Akademie Orchestra, Salamanca Youth Orchestra, Generalitat Valenciana Youth Orchestra, Segle XXI Orchestra, and the Castilla y León Youth Wind Symphony, among others.
Leticia Camarasa, Oboe
She graduated with honors in Professional Music Studies and is currently pursuing higher studies at the Conservatori de les Illes Balears with Thomas Indermühle and Pilar Fontalba. She is a member of the University of Valencia Philharmonic Orchestra, Ibiza Youth Orchestra and Liceu Conservatory Orchestra. She has collaborated with the Collegium Instrumentale Orchestra, Navarra Symphony Orchestra, Valencia Orchestra, and the Community of Valencia Orchestra and has performed as a soloist with the Ímpetu Barroca Orchestra.
CLARA MARIMON, horn
First Prize at the III Conservatory of Tarragona Soloists Competition (2014) and First Prize at the III Catalan Association of Horn Players Competition (2016). She has been a member of the Reus Symphonic Band, InterComarca Youth Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of Catalonia, Spanish National Youth Orchestra, Tineret Youth Orchestra (Romania) and Bärhof Ensemble.
Alexander Bosch, horn
Principal horn of the FSMCV, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Young, Girona Counties Youth Orchestra, Generalitat Valenciana Youth Orchestra and Spanish National Youth Orchestra. He has collaborated with the Granada City Orchestra, Valencia Orchestra, Community of Valencia Chamber Orchestra and Granada City Orchestra, under the baton of Álvaro Albiach, Daniel Harding, Jaume Santonja, Pablo González, Christian Zacharias, Roberto Forés, Edmon Colomer, and Eliahu Inbal. He is a founding member of the Valencia Horn Ensemble.
ÁLVARO BARBANCHO, horn
Since 2018, Álvaro has been a student of the Horn Performance Improvement Course at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole (Italy), under the tutelage of Professor Luca Benucci, principal horn of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. He has also taken advanced courses with horn players Batiste Bernat and Bernardo Cifres (principal horn of the Palau de les Arts Orchestra of Valencia).