Joan Magrané Figuera (Reus, 1988) received his first composition lessons by Ramon Humet. He subsequently studied at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (Barcelona) with Agustín Charles, in the Kunst Universität (Graz) with Beat Furrer and in the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse (Paris) with Stefano Gervasoni. He has been lauréat of the Villa Medici (Rome, 2016), member of the Casa Velázquez (Madrid, 2017/2018) and composer in residence in La Pedrera (Barcelona, 2018/2019) and also in Faber (Olot, 2018). This present season he is guest composer of the Palau de la Música Catalana (Barcelona, 2019/2020). Some poetic and artistic references —from Ausiàs March, Joan Roís de Corella to Francesc Garriga and Jaume C. Pons Alorda, from Marià Fortuny to Joan Miró and Jaume Plensa— are crucial in his creative process; also very close to him are the music by Josquin Desprez, Orlando di Lasso and Claudio Monteverdi. His works has been performed by the Ensemble Intercontemporain, Quatuor Diotima, Quartet Gerhard, Neue Vocalsolisten, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya, Orquesta de la RTVE, Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain, Carlos Mena, Iñaki Alberdi, Azahar Ensemble, Kebyart Ensemble and many others in places like the Philharmonie de Paris, Lucerne Festival, BOZAR de Bruxelles, Heidelberger Frühling, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Festival de Peralada, L'Auditori de Barcelona, Palau de la Música Catalana, Auditorio Nacional de Madrid, Fondation Royaumont and many others. In the field of opera he has worked on different projects such as disPLACE (with Elena Copons and Sébastien Soules) and Diàlegs de Tirant e Carmesina (with Isabella Gaudí, Anna Alàs and Josep Ramon Olivé), a production of Òpera de Butxaca i Nova Creació, Festival de Peralada and Gran Teatre del Liceu. He has been awarded several international awards including the Premio Injuve (2010), and the XXXI Queen Sophia Composition Prize (2014).
Some of his pieces are edited by Durand / Universal Classical Music.
Photo : © Carles Fargas