José Menor

José Menor was hailed as ‘one of the most outstanding Spanish pianists of the new generation’ after his Wigmore Hall solo recital debut: ‘superb recital (...) a performance of gripping power and evocative colouring’ (The Daily Telegraph, Geoffrey Norris). His 2009 debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) in London was highly acclaimed by the international press, on the celebration of Isaac Albeniz’s Anniversary with a performance of Concierto Fantástico, which has almost become José’s signature piece after giving premieres and performances on several countries. The Concierto also gives name to a documentary movie, broadcasted several times on the Spanish TV, featuring José’s performances of it on his 2010 Polish tour.

José made his international debut at age fifteen, performing at New York’s Carnegie Hall as a First Prize winner of Cincinnati’s ‘The World Piano Competition’, which was followed by top prizes and awards at several different piano competitions (including YCAT in London or Viña del Mar in Chile). His 1996 debut at the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona – after winning First Prize on the ‘El Primer Palau’ series - was the beginning of a continuous concert career as a soloist, appearing with major orchestras in Spain, together with orchestras in Europe, USA and Latin America. Recent highlights have included a TV-broadcasted performance of Rachmaninoff concerto no. 1 with the RTVE Orchestra and Alexander Markevich, and the premiere of Albéniz’s Concierto Fantástico in the whole American continent, with the ‘Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa’ in Mexico.

Recent concerto commitments have included, among others, appearances with the Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra (Wuhan, China); Montevideo Philharmonic in Uruguay; Redlands Symphony Orchestra (California, USA); ‘Orquesta Simfònica del Vallès’ (OSV) at the Palau de la Música in Barcelona; several orchestras in Poland -Wroclaw Philharmonic, ‘Filharmonia Pomorska’ in Bydgoszcz; ‘Jove Orquestra Nacional de Catalunya’, JONC (Barcelona, Spain); Landeskapelle Eisenach (Germany); or the ‘Orchestra da Camera’ (Birmingham, UK). Furthermore, José often appears internationally as a solo recitalist, touring several countries (tours in Spain, Germany, Latin America, USA, UK). His live performances have been recorded and broadcasted by different media including TVE (Spanish TV), TV3, CNN, RNE (Spanish National Radio), Catalunya Música, and has performed live on BBC Radio 3 (In Tune), Radio Canada, ABC Classic FM Australia, WXEL (USA), among others.

Recent solo recital appearances have included the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid (Beethoven monographic, on the European Music Day Beethoven celebration, June 2013), Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona (January 2013), or the opening recital at the Juan March Foundation in Madrid, Spain (February 2012), of the ‘Carta Blanca’ series, dedicated to contemporary Spanish composer Joan Guinjoan. José also performed at its closing chamber music recital at the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, with members of the Spanish National Orchestra, ONE (March 2012).

José is also an avid chamber musician, and other chamber music appearances through the last season have included performances with New York Chamber Musicians, NYCM, in collaboration with nine-Grammy winner, violinist Philip Setzer (Emerson Quartet) or collaborations with members of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia (La Coruña, Spain), among other performances. His previous collaborations include appearances with Ransom Wilson, István Várdai, Dai Miyata, Peijun Xu, Alexander Sitkovetsky, Timothy Cobb, or Saeunn Thorsteindottir, among others. José is a collaborator of Kronberg Academy in the United States, performing recitals and broadcasts with several string players as part of the AFKA program.

José maintains a close working relationship for years with renowned Spanish composer Joan Guinjoan, and is the first pianist to have recorded his complete solo piano works, on two CDs (Columna Música label), presented in Barcelona in October 2012, which have achieved outstanding reviews by the international press, including a four-star review at the prestigious Fono Forum magazine in Germany. The Melómano magazine in Spain defines the work as a ‘milestone’ and ‘a turning point on the appreciation of contemporary piano in our country’.

José Menor was born in Sabadell (Barcelona), Spain, and studied piano, composition and conducting at the ‘Conservatorio Superior Municipal de Música de Barcelona’. After that he completed his Masters degree a full-scholarship student at the Royal College of Music in London and his Artist Diploma at the Yale University School of Music, studying with Peter Frankl and Claude Frank. José has received further instruction at the Aspen Music Festival (working with Ann Schein), and also from renowned musicians such as Emanuel Ax, Stephen Hough, Richard Goode, Cristina Ortiz or Joaquín Achúcarro. He is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts advanced candidate at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook University (New York, USA). José Menor has been a chamber music Professor at the Conservatori Superior del Liceu in Barcelona, Spain. José is currently a ‘Leverhulme Artist’, as a Junior Fellow at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, UK, supported by The Leverhulme Trust.