Josep Pons facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Josep Pons
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| Born |
Josep Pons i Viladomat
1957 Puig-reig, Catalonia, Spain
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| Occupation | Conductor |
| Known for | Directing and conducting: Gran Teatre del Liceu Spanish National Orchestra; City of Granada Orchestra; Chamber Orchestra of the Teatre Lliure |
| Spouse(s) | Virginia Parramon |
| Children | 1 |
Josep Pons (born Josep Pons i Viladomat in 1957) is a famous Spanish conductor. He is known for leading many orchestras and opera houses around the world.
Contents
About Josep Pons
Early Life and Musical Training
Josep Pons was born in Puig-reig, a town in Catalonia, Spain. He started his musical journey at L'Escolania de Montserrat, a famous boys' choir school. Later, he continued his studies in Barcelona. There, he learned about composing music from Josep Soler i Sardà. He also studied how to conduct an orchestra with Antoni Ros-Marbà.
Leading Orchestras and Opera Houses
In 1985, Pons started his own group called the Orquestra de Cambra Teatre Lliure. This was a chamber orchestra, which is a smaller group of musicians. From 1988 to 1990, he also led the Coral Càrmina, a choir.
A big moment in his career was when he became the music director for the 1992 Summer Olympics. This was a huge event held in Barcelona.
From 1993 to 2001, he was the first artistic director of the Jove Orquestra Simfònica de Catalunya. This group later became known as the Jove Orquestra Nacional de Catalunya, which means the Youth National Orchestra of Catalonia.
Pons also led the City of Granada Orchestra (Orquesta Ciudad de Granada) for ten years, from 1994 to 2004. In 2003, he became the artistic director and main conductor of the Spanish National Orchestra.
In 2010, the famous Gran Teatre del Liceu opera house announced that Pons would be their new music director. He started this role in September 2012. He has continued to lead the Liceu, with his contract being extended several times, most recently until the 2025–2026 season.
More recently, in 2024, the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern in Germany announced that Josep Pons will be their chief conductor starting in the 2025–2026 season.
Awards and Recordings
Josep Pons has made many recordings with music labels like harmonia mundi. He has also received important awards for his work. These include the City of Barcelona Award in 1992 and the National Prize for Music in 1999. The Ministry of Culture gave him this national prize.
See also
In Spanish: Josep Pons para niños
