Josep Pons

Conductor

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2024-25 Josep Pons biography English

“It was clear that Josep Pons had his own, often very creative, ideas”
(Alan Saunders, Classical Source)

Music Director: Gran Teatre del Liceu
Honorary Conductor: Orquesta Nacional de España
Chief Conductor: Deutsche Radio Philharmonie (from 2025)

Regarded as the leading Spanish conductor of his generation, Josep Pons has built strong relationships with Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Orchestre de Paris, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and BBC Symphony Orchestra —the latter including several appearances at the BBC Proms.

The 2024/25 season sees Pons return to Orquesta Nacional de España, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse with pianist Javier Perianes, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, and debut with China National Symphony Orchestra and Hong Kong Philharmonic.

At the end of the 2020/21 season, Pons renewed his contract as Music Director of Gran Teatre del Liceu until 2025/26. His tenure began in 2012, and he conducts a number of productions in Barcelona each season, most recently Eugene Onegin, Carmen, The Messiah, Bluebeard’s Castle and the Sacre with Ballet Sasha Waltz & Guests. In previous seasons, he conducted Don Pasquale, Macbeth and Parsifal, Ariadne auf Naxos, Oedipus Rex, Pelleas et Melisande, Wozzeck, a concert performance of Bluebeard’s Castle at the Opéra Bastille, as well as Don Giovanni, Lessons of Love and Violence, Káťa Kabanova, Rodelinda, Roméo et Juliette, Elektra, and the world premiere of Casablancas’ new opera L’Enigma de Lea.

This season he will give opera performances of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Lohengrin, Rusalka and conduct series of concerts. He also holds the position of Honorary Conductor of Orquesta Nacional de España, having previously served as their Artistic Director for nine years during which he substantially raised their international profile. He is also Honorary Conductor of Orquesta Ciudad de Granada. Recently, Pons has been appointed the new Chief Conductor of Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, assuming the position at the start of the 2025/26 season.

Josep Pons’ discography of over 50 CDs and DVDs, mostly released by Harmonia Mundi and Deutsche Grammophon, includes recordings of Falla, and French repertoire regarded as benchmark interpretations and earning numerous awards. His recording of Noches en los jardines de España with Javier Perianes won a Choc de la Musique, Melancolía with Patricia Petibon received a Gramophone Editor’s Choice, and his collaboration with Tomatito earned him a Latin Grammy. His recording of Berio’s Sinfonia and Mahler/Berio’s 10 Frühe Lieder with BBC Symphony Orchestra and Matthias Goerne, won the BBC Music Award, Choc de la musique, ECHO Klassik Awards and Télérama Ffff awards. His latest release on Harmonia Mundi is the live recording of Granados’ opera, Goyescas with BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Josep Pons began his musical training at the prestigious Escolanía de Montserrat. The secular tradition and intense study of both Polyphony and contemporary music in this center marked his later development both musically and intellectually. In 1999, he received the Spanish National Music Prize for his outstanding work on twentieth-century music. In 2019, Pons was awarded Honorary Doctorate from Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, but he also received the gold medal for merit in Fine Arts, awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Culture.