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Xavier Pagès i Corella, was born in Sant Pere de Ribes (Barcelona, Spain) in 1971. He studied in Barcelona Conservatory1 and Liceu Conservatory2 where he graduated in piano with Margarita Serrat and Montserrat Almirall, composition with Salvador Pueyo and conducting with Albert Argudo. In 2000 he was admitted in the Conservatory of Vienna3, where he studied conducting with Georg Mark and Reinhard Schwarz. He also has attended several conducting and composition marsterclasses, in which he has worked with conductors such as Ovidiu Balan, Robert Gutter, Manuel Hernández Silva, Collin Metters, Antoni Ros Marbà and composers such as Carles Guinovart and Albert Sardà. In 1994 he won the Competition Josep Mirabent i Magrans for young musicians, with which he studied conducting and composition with Lou Harrisson, Laszlo Heltay and Diego Masson, at the Dartington International Summer School. In 2005 he received a special mention of the selection jury of the Besançon International Competition for Young Conductors. Along with his music studies he graduated as Electric Engineer. His project on a computer-assisted piano tuning method was awarded by the prize of the Industrial Engineers Association of Catalonia. | Conducting As a conductor, he performs regularly in festivals and auditoriums all around Catalonia such as L'Auditori of Barcelona, the Palau de la Música, the Barcelona Grec Festival , the Castell de Peralada Festival, the Pocket Opera Festival of Barcelona4, the cycle “Music today” organized by the Catalan Composers Association , the Pablo Casals International Music Festival and the international festivals of Ripoll, Rialp, Segur de Calafell, and Sitges. He has conducted ensembles such as the Orchestra of Catalogne (France), the Philharmonic Orchestra “Mihail Jora” of Bacau (Rumania), the Thüringen Philharmonic (Germany), the Orchestra of Elche (Alicante), the La Passione Orchestra, the Terrassa 48 Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Royal Artistic Circle of Barcelona, and the Classical Camerata of the Catalan Pyrenees. In 2008 he conducts his first concert in America, invited by the Mendoza Philharmonic Orchestra (Argentina) and in 2009 he is invited by the Sinaloa of the Arts Symphony Orchestra5, in Culiacán (Mexico). From 2004, he is conductor of the Sant Jordi Cobla – City of Barcelona with which he has had an intensive concert activity, and he has conducted several recordings for radio stations such as Catalonia Music6 and the National Radio of Spain7, and labels such as Harmonia Mundi. He also has participated in the development of several educative projects, such as the ones of the conservatories of Sabadell and Badalona, and in 2005 is selected as assistant conductor of Salvador Mas and Manel Valdivieso in the National Youth Orchestra of Catalonia. In 2007 he participates in the conducting of the soundtrack of His Majesty Minor by Jean-Jacques Annaud, with music by the Academy Award-nominated composer, Javier Navarrete. In 2008 he is invited to conduct in the Academy Concerts of the Catalonia School of Music8. | Composing As a composer, he has been awarded in the Memorial Fèlix Martínez Comín (2006), the Prizes City of Reus (2005, 2002), the Oare String Orchestra International Music for Strings Composing Competition (United Kingdom, 2004), “Catalonia” Prices of the Catalan Choral Association9 (2002), and the Memorial Francesc Basil (2000). He has also received commissions such as the Lieder Càmera Choir (2009), Orfeó Català Foundation - Palau de la Música (2008, 2006), the Sant Cugat Symphony Orchestra (2005), the Pocket Opera Festival of Barcelona4 (2004) and the Memorial Joaquim Serra (2001). His music is widely performed in Catalonia, and it has also been played in countries such as Argentina, France, United Kingdom, Russia and Italy. Several of his works have been recorded, being relevant his participation in the Catalan contemporary music CD produced by Television of Catalonia10, and the recording of Winter by the Radio Television Choir of Spain11 conducted by Josep Vila. As orchestrator, he has received several commissions for the opera productions at the University of Barcelona, and as a pedagogue he has given several composition and instrumentation courses at the Catalonia School of Music8. In 2008 the Lieder Càmera Choir premieres his Ave Maria at L'Auditori of Barcelona, the Castell de Peralada Festival commissions the composition and conducting of a soundtrack for a silent film by Segundo de Chomón, and Drama9 brings to stage his chamber opera Bruna de nit. _______________________ 1 Conservatori Superior Municipal de Música de Barcelona. 2 Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu. 3 Wien Konservatorium. 4 Festival d'Òpera de Butxaca de Barcelona. 5 Orquesta Sinfónica Sinaloa de las Artes. 6 Catalunya Música. 7 Radio Nacional de España. 8 Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya. 9 Premis “Catalunya” de la Federació Catalana d’Entitats Corals 10 Televisió de Catalunya. 11 Coro de la Radio Televisión Española. |
