The Franz Schubert Filharmonia has enjoyed a great reception from the public since its inception, both for its artistic quality and for the relevance of its programmes.
Formed by a new generation of the best musicians in the country who perform under the inspired direction of Tomàs Grau, Chief conductor and Artistic director, the orchestra has collaborated with such soloists as Anne-Sophie Mutter, Maria João Pires, Mischa Maisky, Midori, Ivo Pogorelich, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Rudolf Buchbinder, Stephen Kovacevich, Gautier Capuçon, Sabine Meyer, Steven Isserlis, Paul Lewis, Alexei Volodin, Roberto Alagna, Mark Padmore, Seong-Jin Cho, Alice Sara Ott, Javier Perianes, Ainhoa Arteta, Asier Polo, Leticia Moreno, Pablo Ferrández, Judith Jáuregui and Iván Martín.
The Franz Schubert Filharmonia has also worked with such conductors as Josep Pons, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Antoni Ros Marbà, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Salvador Mas, Pablo González, Edmon Colomer, Paul Agnew, Guillermo García Calvo, Thomas Rösner, Virginia Martínez, Jordi Mora, Josep Caballé Domenech, Marzio Conti y Salvador Brotons, among others.
The orchestra has performed in such venues as the Palau de la Música Catalana, Gran Teatre del Liceu, L’Auditori de Barcelona, Auditorio Nacional de Música de Madrid, Auditorio de Zaragoza, Palacio Euskalduna de Bilbao and Palau de las Artes de Valencia, and has made concert tours in Germany, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
The Franz Schubert Filharmonia performs its subscription seasons in Barcelona, Tarragona, Lleida and Sant Cugat, and since 2009 has had the honour of being the resident orchestra of El Vendrell, the birthplace of the great maestro Pau Casals.
The orchestra has recorded several albums, among which we can highlight Die Romantische Seele with the pianist Judith Jáuregui. Produced by the German label ARS Produktion, winner of the International Classical Music Awards, and nominated for the Opus Klassik Awards, and Alba Eterna, an opera by the composer Albert Guinovart and produced by the Sony Classical label.
Chief Conductor and Artistic Director
An inspired and highly sensitive conductor, Tomàs Grau is characterized by his precise and clear gesture and by the sincerity of his musical readings, which seek to transmit the light, delicate emotions of each of the scores, sharing with the audience his love for the music.
He has conducted many international soloists, including Anne-Sophie Mutter, Maria João Pires, Midori, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Gautier Capuçon, Ivo Pogorelich, Mischa Maisky, Javier Perianes, Sabine Meyer, Steven Isserlis, Paul Lewis, Alexei Volodin, Stephen Kovacevich, Alexander Melnikov, Seong-Jin Cho, Mark Padmore and Alice Sara Ott in all the main concert halls in Spain, including the National Auditorium in Madrid, the Auditorio in Zaragoza, the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Auditori in Barcelona, as well as internationally at the Tonhalle in Zurich.
Nowadays, Tomàs is the Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Franz Schubert Filharmonia, and he is often invited to conduct other orchestras, such as the Orquesta Nacional de España, Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias, Orquesta Filarmónica de Málaga, Orquesta Sinfónica de la Región de Murcia, Orquesta de Córdoba, Orquesta Sinfónica de Burgos, Beethoven Philharmonie and Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, among others. He has recorded for labels such as SONY Classical, ARS Produktion (label of the year at the International Classical Music Awards) and Discmedi.
Among his immediate commitments, he will be conducting such soloists as Ivo Pogorelich, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Katia & Marielle Labèque and, once again, Midori.
Born in Barcelona in 1979, Tomàs Grau studied music at the Superior Conservatory of Music in his own city. He continued his conducting studies at the Superior School of Music of Catalonia, where he graduated in Orchestral Conducting, with top ratings. His Orchestral Conducting studies were completed in the Wiener Meisterkurse.