Josep Sanz Quintana

Josep Sanz (b. 1977) studied composition with Sardà, Charles, Hidalgo, Lachenmann and Walter in Barcelona and Stuttgart. He received numerous grants and awards, such as the Humboldt scholarship, a half year residence fellowship at the Akademie Schloss Solitude, the Joan Guinjoan international composition competition and the Neue Musik for Schülerorchester award. His music has been performed among others by the trio Accanto, the Neue Vocalsolisten, trio De Magia, International Ensemble Modern Akademie, Daniel Gloger and Lluïsa Espigolé, following the next premiere of his piano concerto by Yukiko Sugawara and the SWR orchestra. His last pieces were played at international festivals such Eclat festival in Stuttgart, Nous Sons in Barcelona, CDMC in Madrid, festival Musica in Strassbourg, Darmstadt summer course for new music, festival Encontres in Mallorca and the new music festival in Alicante. Since 2008 he is lecturer at the High School of Music of Aragón, Spain.In the latest years, his works are mainly concentrated around the idea of “gnosis”. This includes the exploration of the different processes and psychological phenomena that some cultures have used to achieve the full knowledge of its own identity, both individual and collective. In some cases, his music shows specific moments of this processes, with or without apparent connection between them. This tends, in the formal aspect, to a non linear music discourse, where the different situations are putted in confrontation with one another.