Biography
My passion for the saxophone began at the music school in my hometown of Alcorisa, in the province of Teruel. As a teenager, I decided to move to the Musical Institute of Teruel where I completed my professional studies in saxophone and chamber music with an extraordinary award. At the CSMA in the capital city of Zaragoza, I continued my studies under the guidance of Mr. Francisco Roy. I completed my advanced degree with honors, being the first student to receive this distinction.
Having the opportunity to study with maestro Arno Bornkamp, my role model, became a dream come true. My years at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam enriched me tremendously, both personally and professionally. It was there that I truly understood the magnitude of studying this instrument.
In my years as a student I attend several competitions, musical challenges that fill me with motivation. Among all of them, perhaps the 1st Prize in the International Saxophone Competition of Merza or the 1st Prize “Young Performers” in 2002 and 2007 of the Government of Aragon and the Ibercaja Foundation are the most special.
My enthusiasm for the history of the saxophone led me to study the Master’s Degree in Musical Research at VIU (International University of Valencia), where I focused my research on the acoustic and organological study of a 1857 Adolphe Sax tenor saxophone from my collection. Currently, I am pursuing doctoral studies at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters at the University of Córdoba.
During all these years I have had the opportunity to participate in extraordinary formations such as the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Basque Country (EGO), Symphonic Band of the European Union (EUYWO) directed by Jan Cobero or World Symphonic Band “World of Winds” directed by trombonist Christian Lindberg. And at festivals like “On Wings” (Holland), “St. Olavs Festival “(Norway), “The Music Festival“(Norway) or “Rheingau Musik Festival“(Germany). In the same way I have participated in recordings for Klassic Radio, Radio Klassiek Nederlands, Norwegian Band Federation, RNE, RNE Clásica, Canal Mezzo TV or BelAir Classiques.
It will be my time at the Madrid Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Theater that makes me discover an unknown repertoire for me, the saxophone at the Opera. Lulu, Wherter or Mahagonny are some examples, in which I was able to work under the baton of masters such as Pablo Heras Casado, Eliahu Inbal, Teodor Currentzis or Emmanuel Villaume and who have allowed me to participate in the first international tour of the Royal Theater in Russia, in the Moscow Bolshoi Theater.
This exciting profession has given me the opportunity to teach courses and masterclasses throughout Spain and Europe (Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag, Maastricht Conservatorium, Det Jyske Conservatorium, Berlage Saxophone Academy, Conservatorio Frescobaldi Ferrara…) or at the University of the Arts in Havana (Cuba), not to mention the invitation from Arno Bornkamp to teach his students at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, an unforgettable experience at a center that I hold dear.
It will be in this conservatory where I meet Juana Palop, with whom I formed the Zavasax Saxophone Duo. in 2007. With this group, thanks to an invitation from the Adolphe Sax Foundation, I participate in the “Saxfest 2014” International Saxophone Festival in Amsterdam, alongside Brandford Marsalis, Vicent David, Otis Murphy, Claude Delangle, Paquito de Rivera, and James Carter, premiering the “Suite Anemoi”, a work by Santiago Báez dedicated to “Zavasax.” The group has been awarded the 2nd Prize in the Juventudes Musicales Competition, and in 2016 their first album “Inventions“ is released. Together with composer Álvaro Maroto, I founded the “Proyecto Denoise” in 2020, where we present “Psicofonía”, a multidisciplinary show with avant-garde music and video mapping projections created by video artist Ana Arteaga.
Between 2008 and 2019, I was the Artistic Director and founder of the International Saxophone Course-Festival “Alcosax,” one of my most ambitious projects. A festival that brought together more than 50 students from all over Europe and 9 internationally renowned professors. Additionally, I have been a professor at the Permanent Saxophone Seminar (Córdoba) and the university courses of the Mpmusic Foundation and the Pablo de Olavide University. After my time at the Superior Conservatories of Córdoba and Sevilla, currently, I am a saxophone and chamber music professor at the “Andrés de Vandelvira” Superior Conservatory of Music in Jaén.
