Lluís Claret facts for kids

Lluís Claret (born Lluís Claret i Serra on March 10, 1951) is a famous cellist from Andorra. A cellist is someone who plays the cello, a large string instrument. Lluís Claret has performed and taught music all around the world, including in Barcelona, Spain. He also helps judge important music competitions. His twin brother, Gerard Claret, is also a musician who plays the violin.

Early Life and Musical Journey

Lluís Claret was born in Andorra la Vella in 1951. His parents had to leave Catalonia during the Spanish Civil War. Lluís's father became good friends with the famous cellist Pablo Casals. Pablo Casals is even Lluís Claret's godfather!

Starting Music

Lluís began learning music when he was 9 years old. In 1964, he moved to Barcelona, Spain. There, he studied at the Conservatory of the Liceu. He earned many important awards during his time there. He also started working with a musician named Enric Casals.

Studying Around the World

Lluís Claret continued his music studies in other countries. He learned more in France, Italy, and the USA. He had great teachers like Maurice Gendron and Radu Aldulescu. Throughout his career, he has especially loved playing chamber music. This is music played by a small group of instruments.

Teaching and Performing

Lluís Claret has shared his musical knowledge with many students. He has taught at several music schools. These include the “Victoria dels Angels” Music School in Sant Cugat. He also taught at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona. In France, he taught at the Toulouse Conservatory. In 2016, he joined the New England Conservatory of Music in the USA.

Performing with Orchestras

Lluís Claret has played his cello with many famous orchestras. An orchestra is a large group of musicians playing together. Some of the orchestras he has performed with include:

• The National Symphony in Washington, D.C.
• The Moscow Philharmonic
• The National Orchestra of France
• The English Chamber Orchestra
• The Hungarian Philharmonic
• The Czech Philharmonic

Winning Awards and Judging Competitions

Lluís Claret has won first place in many important international music competitions. In 1976, he won the Pablo Casals International Cello Competition. The next year, in 1977, he won the Rostropovich Cello Competition. These are very big achievements for a cellist!

He is also a founding member of the Trio de Barcelona. This means he helped start this musical group. He often plays with other well-known musicians too. Besides performing and teaching, Lluís Claret is a judge for major international competitions. He has been a judge for the Rostropovitch Competition. He also judged the Paulo Cello Competition in Helsinki, Finland. Another competition he judged was the Adam Cello Competition in Auckland, New Zealand.

See also

In Spanish: Lluís Claret para niños