Artists, teachers and other participants
Born in New York in 1946 and graduated from Harvard in 1972, Hopkinson Smith is recognized as one of the world’s leading specialists in historical plucked-string instruments. In 1973 he came to Catalonia to study with Emili Pujol, a great scholar of the work of Joan Carles i Amat, and later moved to Switzerland (where he currently lives) to train in lute with Eugene Dombois at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.
There, together with Jordi Savall, he founded Hespèrion XX, an ensemble with which he collaborated for ten years. From the mid-1980s he focused on solo performance, and since then he has accumulated recordings, concerts and masterclasses all over the world.
Among the recognitions for his extensive discography are reviews in media such as The New York Times, Gramophone magazine and BBC Music, as well as 10 prestigious Diapason d’Or awards, among which stand out, above all, the recordings of John Dowland (2005), Francesco da Milano (2009) and Johann Sebastian Bach (2013).
On September 24th 2022, Hopkinson Smith was the protagonist of the Commemorative Concert for the 450th anniversary of Joan Carles i Amat in Monistrol de Montserrat, alongside actress Sílvia Bel, an event that would open the door to headlining the inaugural concert of the Joan Carles i Amat International Academy 2023 and of the Joan Carles i Amat Festival 2024 and 2025, in all three cases alongside soprano Sophie Klussmann. In the latter they presented their first CD Chansons & frottole.
The two artists also teach every year the course on historical plucked-string instruments and historical singing at the JCA Academy.
Born in Freiburg (Germany), Sophie Klussmann studied at the Detmold and Cologne music conservatories. Her awards include the Mozart Competition in Würzburg and the Trude Eipperle Stiftung. She is a versatile concert, opera and recital singer who has worked with conductors such as V. Jurowski, H. Rilling, I. Metzmacher, M. Janowski, M. Gielen and M. Bosch, and with orchestras such as: Berlin Radio Orchestra, Konzerthaus Berlin, SWR Orchestra, Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich and Wiener Akademie.
In 2022 she debuted at the Copenhagen Philharmonic Hall with Christoph Eschenbach, performing Brahms’ German Requiem. She has also sung soprano roles in various operas. In 2021/22 she sang the leading role in “The Merry Widow” by Franz Lehár at the Cottbus State Theatre.
In the field of early music she has worked with the Akademie für Alte Musik, Collegium 1704 and the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century. Since 2023 she has collaborated with Hopkinson Smith. In contemporary music she has recorded works by Kurtág, Ligeti and Stockhausen, and in lied she has performed at the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, the Kempen Festival and the Stift Festival Holland. Among her recordings stand out: Handel’s Dixit Dominus (Harmonia Mundi), songs by Karl Weigl (Capriccio) and songs by S. Gervasoni (Cine Forum Venezia).
She was the protagonist of the inaugural concert of the Joan Carles i Amat International Academy 2023, alongside Hopkinson Smith, and the two of them were again protagonists of the inaugural concerts of the first and second editions of the Joan Carles i Amat Festival in 2024 and 2025. In the latter they presented their first CD Chansons & frottole.
Sophie Klussmann teaches every year the historical singing course of the JCA Academy, alongside Hopkinson Smith.
Since winning First Prize at the Fundación Guerrero Guitar Competition and the Juventudes Musicales de España Competition, his concert career has developed across more than forty countries, performing in prestigious international venues such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Radio France Auditorium in Paris, the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona and the Lutowslawski Auditorium in Warsaw.
He has premiered works by various contemporary composers, among which stand out Concerto Mare Nostrum by Salvador Brotons, …di un soffio d’aura by Agustí Charles and the Concierto de Petrer by Simone Iannarelli (in each case as soloist with orchestra).
He has released six CDs with the labels Harmonia Mundi, Opera Tres and Columna Música. After listening to his CD dedicated to British composers, Sir Malcolm Arnold said it was: “A masterful performance”, adding “It is rewarding to hear music performed so magnificently”.
Àlex Garrobé teaches the classical guitar masterclasses every year within the Joan Carles i Amat International Academy.
Considered by specialized critics to be a virtuosic guitarist, with impeccable technique and exquisite sensitivity, capable of captivating all types of audiences in his concerts, Guillem Pérez-Quer is an internationally renowned concert performer with a long career who has performed in some of the world’s most important concert halls.
He studied with great masters such as Juan Fco. Garrido, Óscar Cáceres, Leo Brouwer, Betho Davezac, Eli Kassner and the great guitarist María Luisa Anido –a student of Miquel Llobet– who considered him one of her best students.
Winner of prestigious awards such as the Manuel de Falla Interpretation Competition and the 25th International Maria Canals Competition, among others. He has three albums released with President Records Ltd. (London) together with his wife, the Canadian guitarist Danielle Kassner, with the guitar duo Kassner & Quer.
He gives lectures and masterclasses around the world and has been a jury member in international competitions in many different countries. He is Head of the Guitar Department at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona.
In Monistrol de Montserrat he taught the classical guitar course in the first edition of the Joan Carles i Amat International Academy, held in October 2023, and also in the 2025 edition.
Born in Soria, she moved to Barcelona, where in 2009 she obtained a Higher Degree in Classical Guitar at the ESMUC under the direction of Àlex Garrobé, and in 2014 a Higher Degree in Historical Plucked-String Instruments under the direction of Xavier Díaz-Latorre, at the same institution.
She has performed at festivals and venues such as the Joan Brudieu International Festival, the Joven Festival of Segovia, the David Russell International Course in Tudela, the Barcelona Auditorium, the Glazunov Hall in Saint Petersburg, the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona and the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, among others.
With the guitar quartet Barcelona4Guitars she has performed at the Church of El Pi and at the Palau de la Música Catalana. She has collaborated with Musicologics in the project “The world’s best guitar collection” at the Museu de la Música in Barcelona, where she performed concerts using original guitars from the museum’s collection.
She has also participated in numerous ensembles specialized in historical performance such as Mara Aranda, Sarao de Musas, Academia 1750, La Grande Chapelle and Le Concert des Nations. She is part of the groups Canto Basso, WorkinGOpera, La Sonorosa, Seicento is Alive and Tañer. With La Sonorosa, she has recorded the CD Vida Bona, based on the music of Luis de Briceño for the label La mà de guido. She has recorded the guitar solo part of the soundtrack Jean-François i el sentit de la vida, directed by Sergi Portabella with music by Gerard Pastor. With the group Tañer they have released their first album, IM-POSIBLES, dedicated to 17th-century instrumental dances, published by Lindoro.
Originally from France, François Xavier ‘Fix’ Nicolet studied at the conservatories of Rennes, Orléans and Strasbourg. He has specialized in early music (festivals Vieilles Musiques d’Estrasburg, residency at Arcades Institutes in France, Baroque Music Festival in Costa Rica, etc.), but also collaborates with contemporary composers such as Salvador Brotons, Manel Ribera, José Galeote, Glòria Villanueva and Sergi Sirvent.
In addition to his solo career, he performs with the ensembles Sons de Fusta i Cristall (with flutist Montserrat Gascón), Tangozzolla (with Maria Perera, violin) and Ensemble Fluido (dedicated to contemporary repertoire).
Fix Nicolet has developed an important international career, performing with orchestras such as the Kielce Symphony Orchestra (Poland), OJHB France, the Julià Carbonell Orchestra and the Liceu Orchestra in Barcelona. He has recorded programs and concerts for radio (France, Catalonia, Costa Rica, Vietnam and Poland), television (TF1, France) and has released three CDs with the labels AxBMusic, La Mà de Guido and CapitalSound. For more than 20 years, he has been dedicated to teaching and is a professor at the Municipal Music School of L’Ametlla del Vallès, the Professional Conservatory of Creu Alta and the Escola Pia of Sabadell.
Lluís Alavedra i Torrella (Vacarisses, 1965) is an architect who has been based in Monistrol for many years (holding a higher degree since 1995), with a strong interest in associative activities—both cultural and social, civic and sporting—and a special predilection for music.
He has been a member of various local organizations, including the Sant Sebastià Association, and is currently a member of the Cultural Association Art i Esplai (for 44 years) and of the Joan Carles i Amat Association, of which he has been vice-president since its creation in 2019.
He was part of the editorial team of the magazine “El Dit Gros” and a member and presenter at Ràdio Monistrol. In his sporting life, he played for many years in different football teams in Monistrol de Montserrat.
In his cultural role, he has been a member of the Festivities Commission of the streets known as “L’Altra Banda” for more than 20 years. In local politics, he served as a councillor in the Monistrol Town Council for 8 years.
His musical training—as an amateur—includes a short period studying guitar at the Municipal Music School of Sant Vicenç de Castellet, and especially 20 years of singing lessons at the same institution. The styles in which he feels most comfortable are jazz, blues and musical theatre, without excluding others that are also of interest to him.
Born in Barcelona, Mercè Feltrer is a music specialist teacher with training and experience in classical and traditional dance. She has thirty years of teaching experience in both schools and music academies, with students ranging from 2 to 12 years old. She is currently the music teacher at CEIP Sant Pere in Monistrol de Montserrat.
As a singer, she has been part of several choirs, including the Manresa Conservatory Choir and the Nou Horitzó Choir. She has also been a member of the instrumental ensembles “Disset i Escaig” and the pop group “Cyan”.
Born in Monistrol de Montserrat, Antoni Guirola works professionally in a field unrelated to music. However, he is a passionate enthusiast of Iberian percussion (in which he has taken numerous courses). He is self-taught and an amateur, and for more than thirty years he has been linked to various groups of popular and folk percussion.
Within the associative sphere of Monistrol, he is currently the leader of Els Tronats, a batucada group created in 1995 that accompanies the popular Diables during local festivities.
Esbart Monistrol Dansaire
Esbart Monistrol Dansaire was founded on September 22nd, 1990. Sponsored by Esbart Sabadell Dansaire, it performed its first show in Monistrol on April 21st, 1991. It is a member of the Agrupament d’Esbarts Dansaires de Catalunya. It is an organization dedicated to the collection, preservation, teaching and dissemination of the traditional dances of the Catalan-speaking territories, always taking care to present and maintain this folklore in its highest possible purity.
The general characteristic of the Esbart’s dances is their sober and austere simplicity, and therefore their natural distinction and elegance, free from exaggeration and artificial effects. What Esbart Monistrol Dansaire aims to show in its performances is as simple as the culture, history and recovered spirit of the Catalan people.
Currently, the Esbart is made up of three groups: children, youth and the dance company. The different sections actively participate throughout Catalonia under the direction of Anna Rodríguez and with the collaboration of Carmina Cañadó in costume matters.
The driving force of this organization is none other than the motivation to keep a living tradition and at the same time fully enjoy the opportunity to showcase our culture.
He holds a degree in Musical Arts specializing in guitar from the National University of the Arts (Buenos Aires). He completed a Master’s in Classical and Contemporary Music at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu (Barcelona), under the chair of Professor Guillem Pérez-Quer.
He has performed in Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Brazil, France, Spain and Andorra. He has premiered works by Javier Bravo, Fernando Rovetta, William Lentz, Huayma Tulian, among others, both as soloist and in chamber ensembles.
He has been awarded in several guitar competitions (Pirineus 2021, DAMUS–DIMA Argentina 2016, Eduardo Fabini Uruguay 2017 and Tampere Finland 2024).
David Murgadas
David Murgadas is one of the most versatile guitarists in the Catalan guitar world. With classical training under Guillem Bernabé in Rubí, at the Luthier School of Musical Arts in Barcelona and with master José Tomás at the Conservatori Superior de Música d’Alacant, he specialized in Renaissance and Baroque repertoire with historical plucked-string instruments (vihuela, lute, theorbo and Baroque guitar) at the ESMUC and the Conservatory of Toulouse.
He is a higher education guitar teacher and holds a Master’s degree in Early Music Performance, and teaches at the Municipal Conservatory of Music in Igualada.
Internationally recognized, he performs concerts, courses and lectures worldwide: USA, France, Italy, Mexico, Chiapas, Panama, Netherlands, etc.
He has made several recordings, notably the CD “CODEX” with works by the guitarist Santiago de Murcia (18th century), featuring Spanish-Catalan instruments such as bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, percussion, gralla, castanets, etc.
He is currently working on the film series “LABYRINTH”, dedicated to the Passacaglias of Antonio de Santa Cruz (17th century) with the Dutch production company Lightframers.
Xavier Soler i Sellarès began playing classical guitar and soon felt a strong attraction to early music. Over time he began studying theorbo with Xavier Coll and William Waters and attended masterclasses with Rolf Lislevand and Hopkinson Smith. Projects also started to emerge, first with the vocal ensemble Camerata Victoria and later with Bergamasca.
He graduated from the ESMUC (Barcelona) with lutenist and guitarist Xavier Díaz-Latorre, also participating in projects from the same school within the Barcelona Early Music Festival, the Centre Robert Gerhard concert series and the Sacred Music Cycle of Cardona, directed by Les Sacqueboutiers de Toulouse, Alfredo Bernardini, Lambert Climent and Xavier Díaz-Latorre. In 2009 he began a new musical venture with the French group La Felice Concordia, with whom he performed concerts and educational activities across France, Italy and the Netherlands, participating several times in the festival Les Solistes de Demain, the Fabulous Fringe of the Utrecht Early Music Festival, and being conducted in 2010 by René Jacobs. In January 2011 he participated as continuo player in Copenhagen (Denmark) in Monteverdi’s opera L’Orfeo, conducted by harpist Andrew Lawrence-King, and since the same year he has also been part of the ensemble Alla Luce Ensemble.
Belén Estival is an instrumentalist, musicologist and pedagogue. She graduated as a Higher Professor of Guitar at the Conservatorio Superior de Madrid, under the mentorship of José Luis Rodrigo. Her interest in historical music led her to specialize in Renaissance and Baroque plucked-string instruments, studying at the Conservatoire de Musique de Neuchâtel (Switzerland), where she obtained a higher degree in Renaissance lute under Jorge Fresno and Rose Mª Meister.
She has taken specialization courses in early music performance with professors such as Nicolás Daza, José Miguel Moreno, Gerardo Arriaga and Pat O’Brien. She holds a Master’s degree in Applied Musicology from the University of La Rioja and is currently pursuing a PhD at the same university on the performance of vihuela music.
As a guitarist, lutenist and vihuelist, she regularly performs with the ensembles La Lira Nocturna, Due Voci and L’Allegrezza, as well as collaborating with other groups such as Estil Concertant and Dialogo della Rosa. She has performed and recorded with these ensembles in Spain and Europe, participating in festivals such as the Semanas de Música Religiosa de Cuenca, the Jornadas de Musicología of the UCLM, the Music Cycles at the Chapel of the University of Valencia, the International Early Music Festival of Xàtiva, and the Seminario Internazionale di musica antica of Santu Lussurgiu (Italy). As a musicologist she has collaborated as a musical advisor for the Juan March Foundation and currently participates in a lecture program at the Department of Hispanic Studies of Connecticut College (USA). She has developed her teaching activity at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, in secondary education, and in various professional conservatories in the Community of Madrid.
Born in Agrigento (Sicily, Italy) in 1984, Raimondo Mantione graduated in classical guitar at the Vincenzo Bellini Conservatory of Caltanissetta in 2002. He later studied with Maurizio Norrito in Palermo and Walter Zanetti in Bologna. During this period he attended masterclasses with Alirio Díaz, Claudio Marcotulli and François Laurent.
In 2004 he moved to Paris to attend the classes of Alberto Ponce at the École Normale de Musique “Alfred Cortot”, where he obtained the Higher Diploma.
In 2006 he won First Prize at the G. Rospigliosi Competition in Pistoia and Third Prize at the Città di Parma Competition. In 2007 he returned to Sicily, where he began his teaching activity as a public school teacher. In 2013 he attended a master’s in classical guitar at the Conservatory of Caltanissetta, performing on an original guitar by the renowned luthier Nikolaus Georg Ries from 1820/30.
Fascinated by early music, he began studying theorbo and the five-course guitar. After a masterclass with Daniele Caminiti, he decided to study lute at the Conservatorio Antonio Scontrini in Trapani with Monica Pustilnik (since 2020). In this context, he deepened his knowledge of Baroque music with theorbo, 13-course lute and basso continuo. There he obtained his master’s degree in lute in 2023, presenting a recital entitled “Trascrizioni e nova musica per Liuto: da Jean Baptiste Lully a Stephen Goss”.
He has participated as continuo player in Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda and L’incoronazione di Poppea by Monteverdi at the Jesuit College of Trapani, with the Laboratorio Barocco Scontino. He collaborates with the singer Theresia Bothe in programs dedicated to early 17th-century Italian vocal repertoire.
With musical training culminating in composition studies at the Professional Conservatory of Music of Badalona, Joan Puigdellivol initially built a career as a teacher in various institutions, including the same conservatory in Badalona.
In his role as a musical activist, in 1995 he promoted the creation of the Ribermúsica Foundation in the historic centre of Barcelona, a movement that has lasted thirty years and is still active today.
From 2017 onwards he became deeply involved in the recovery of the figure of Joan Carles i Amat in the hometown of both, Monistrol de Montserrat, leading to the commemoration in 2022 of the 450th anniversary of his birth. That same year he was appointed commissioner of the Joan Carles i Amat Year by the Government of Catalonia.
Other aspects of his activity include being a member of the Capella Reial de Catalunya under the direction of Jordi Savall (between 1991 and 1996), as well as a brief period as a composer in the early 1990s.
He has published texts in Serra d’Or, Revista Musical Catalana, Editorial Mediterrània and Morera Edicions.
Oriol Pérez i Treviño (Manresa, 1972). Musicologist and essayist, he dedicates his activity to teaching and writing. Throughout his career he has combined research with the management of major cultural projects in Catalonia such as the Catalan Music Network, the Torroella de Montgrí Festival, the Robert Gerhard Centre, the Acadèmia 1750 and L’Auditori.
In recent years, immersed in research on mysticism, spirituality and music, he collaborates with various academic and cultural institutions in the country. Currently, he is working on an essay about the reception of Johann Sebastian Bach with writer Miquel de Palol and writes daily for the portal Nosolocine in the section “Entre Clàssics”. He is a music critic for El Punt Avui.
