MSKN Master Ensemble

  Friday, March 7
  7:30 p.m.
  €12 and €14
MUN Theater

*Season tickets are available for the Cartographies of Music cycle, either for all four shows in the cycle or for two (€45 and €25, respectively). Remember that to benefit from this rate, you must purchase the number of tickets established for the option you choose.

MSKN Máster Ensemble offers a musical journey between the mystical and the avant-garde, an exceptional blend of styles from the 20th and 21st centuries that combines the rhythmic energy of Stravinsky, the ethereal atmosphere of Villa-Lobos, and the evocative subtlety of Sánchez Verdú.

From the infectious dynamism of Concertino to the dreaminess ofthe mystical Sextet, via the peculiar soundscapes ofThe Book of the Sand Garden, this concert is a unique exploration of colors, textures, and contrasts. The evening culminates with the vibrant elegance ofDanses concertantes, a work that distills the neoclassical essence of the Russian genius.

JOSÉ LUIS ESTELLÉS
He has an extensive artistic career, combining the roles of orchestra conductor, clarinetist, and teacher.

Estellés has performed as a guest soloist with more than thirty orchestras and ensembles and also as a chamber musician in major concert halls and festivals in the US, Mexico, Japan, and throughout Europe alongside prestigious quartets and soloists. He was the founder of ensembles such as Grupo Manon and TAiMAgranada. His CD recordings as a clarinetist have been released on the Turtle Records, Emergo Classics, Audiovisuals de Sarriá, Anacrusi, Verso, Kairos, Naxos, Komponisten Polyphonie, and Ibs Classical labels.

As a conductor, he has performed in numerous concerts in Spain, Germany, Belgium, France, England, Bulgaria, and Mexico, and has recorded for the Musikene, Verso, and Ibs Classical labels.

As an orchestral musician, he has been principal clarinetist with the City of Granada Orchestra since 1991 and has also collaborated with other ensembles in Spain, England, Belgium, and Germany.

José Luis Estellés has been a clarinet professor at Musikene since its creation in 2001, where he also served as Artistic Director and Director of Orchestral Studies. Since 2021, he has been a professor of chamber music at the HfMT in Cologne, Germany. He has been associated as a professor with the Sibelius Academy, Codarts – Rotterdam Conservatorium, the University of Alcalá de Henares, and the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Oviedo, and has given master classes all over the world. He is invited as a jury member at important international competitions, such as the ARD (Munich) and Aeolus (Dusseldorf).
 

MSKN MASTER ENSEMBLE

This is the group in which students of the Master's Degree in Performance at Musikene acquire professional-level training and experience through the study and public performance of a demanding and varied repertoire. Characterized by its versatility and variable geometry, the MSKN Master's Ensemble can transform itself from a small ensemble to a symphony orchestra, adapting to each program with an eclectic and daring vision. This flexibility has allowed for the performance of masterpieces by composers such as Edgar Varèse, Wolfgang Rihm, Friedrich Cerha, Gustav Mahler, Hans Zender, Conlon Nancarrow, Alvin Etler, Thomas Adès, Frédéric Chopin, Ramón Lazkano, Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky, Darius Milhaud, Paul Hindemith, Erwin Schulhoff, Kurt Weill, Dmitri Shostakovich, Béla Bartók, Franz Schreker, Luigi Dallapiccola, Aaron Copland, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Miklós Rózsa, W. A. Mozart, and George Gershwin, as well as premieres by Mikel Iturregi, Pedro González Álvarez, and Leonel Aldino.

Under the direction of José Luis Estellés, since its first concert in 2020, the ensemble has collaborated with soloists such as Marta Zabaleta, Miguel Ituarte, and Liana Gourdjia, as well as Musikene Abesbatza and choreographer Myriam Pérez Cazabón in events such as the concert celebrating World Architecture Day at FICOBA. Its participation in the 2024 edition of Musika-Música Bilbao has been another highlight in its career.


MUSIKENE
Musikene is the Higher Music Center of the Basque Country, created by the Basque Government in the 2001-2002 academic year. It is a center committed to quality teaching that guarantees professional qualifications in the fields of performance, composition, conducting, and pedagogy. Its primary objective is to provide students with an adequate educational background that facilitates their entry into the world of work, taking into account the new requirements demanded by music in the 21st century.

One of the key elements of Musikene's educational philosophy is its focus on developing the talent of each student, who acquires a high level of professional training. Teaching is tailored to the levels expected of its graduates in the job market. To this end, Musikene has a teaching staff of recognized pedagogical prestige who are also proven musicians of international renown, either as soloists or members of the best European orchestras. The center has opted for highly specialized teachers with many years of experience.