‘…The works could hardly have been played with more expressive precision . . . the styles were perfectly judged.” This is how The Financial Times has described Josep Sancho, Prize Winner of the K. Penderecki International Competition in Poland, and one of the most active clarinet players of his generation. As a soloist and chamber musician he has played in Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Poland, Slovenia, Canada, USA, Jordan and in the most important cities of Spain, making successful debuts in the  Mozart,  Weber and Stamitz clarinet concertos.

 

Josep was born in Les Cases d’Alcanar (Spain)  and  studied in Barcelona with Joan E.  Lluna. He then came  to study at the Royal Academy of Music  in London with Angela Malsbury and Nicolas Rodwell. He has also worked with the distinguished clarinettists Michael Collins, Thea King and Anthony Pay. Concurrent with his musical studies he took a course  in Philosophy at the Jaume I University.

 

Josep has won several competitions, including Palau de la Musica in Barcelona, the Geoffrey Hawkes Clarinet Prize,  the John Ireland Chamber Music Competition and the BBC Young Arstists' Forum. He scored an early success when he won second prize in the Young Musicians of Spain.

 

He has played with the Interregionales Simphonieorchester in Germany, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, European Union Chamber Orchestra and at the Opera House Symphony Orchestra in Barcelona. He is especially interested in contemporary music, having founded several groups such as the Trio Guinjoan and Camber XX Sinfonietta where he is principal clarinet. As a  chamber musician he has played with members of the Ensemble Intercontemporaine (Paris Piano Trio), the Casals, Con Tempo and Brodsky String Quartets,  the ensemble Barcelona 216,  and the Schubert  Octet.

 

Josep has broadcast on Radio Nacional de Espana RNE-4 and RNE-2, Catalunya Música, Televisió de Catalunya (TV3), Polskie Radio (Poland), King FM Radio (Seattle), BBC Radio 3 and RTV Slovenija where he has recorded the Brahms’ Sonata Op.120 in  Fm  orchestrated by Berio and Janez Gregorc’s  Clarinet Concerto. As a teacher he has given master classes in several cities of Spain, Washington University (Seattle), Vancouver University, Victoria University (Canada), and in Poland at the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw.

 

Currently He is based in Spain. He teaches at the Castellón Conservatoire and is member of several chamber ensembles as Gorka Hermosa duo (accordion) and  The Alma Ensemble.