Juanjo Guillem
Juanjo Guillem (b. 1965), has a broad an solid musical education obtained with the highest grades in the Conservatorios Superiores de Música of Valence, Barcelona, Madrid, the Conservatoire National de Région de Strasbourg (France) and Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music (England).
His career as a professional percussionist is threefold: as musician, as soloist and as educator.
As musician he has been a member of different orchestras such as the Gran Teatre del Liceu’s Orchestra, and Madrid’s Symphonic Orchestra. Nowadays, he’s the principal percussionist and Timpani player at the Spain’s National Orchestra.
As a soloist, he is specialised in 20th Century music, and he has performed in Spain, Europe, Asia, and America. Lots of composers –such as José Luis Turina, Jesús Torres, Mauricio Sotelo, Alicia Díaz, Pedro Guajardo, Thierry Pecou, Consuelo Díez, Julio Sanz, Rafael Reina, Miguel Ruiz, Tomas Garrido, and Bertomeu Artigues-, have dedicated their pieces. His two recordings as a soloist, edited by Kusión Records are ...Y todo esto me ha ocurrido por culpa de la música and A Man and His Tape.
He has debuted a great deal of concerts for percussion and orchestra together with different associations such as the Spain’s National Orchestra, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria’s Orchestra, Madrid’s Symphonic Orchestra, San Petersburg’s Chamber Orchestra, Pamplona’s ‘Pablo Sarasate’ Orchestra, Murcia’s Orchestra, Majorca’s Orchestra, Cascais’s (Portugal) Chamber Orchestra, and ‘Andrés Segovia’ Orchestra. The interest he took in collaborating with other artists has led him to perform as co-principal percussionist of the Royal Dance Superior School, thus participating in different performances of modern dancing, contemporary dancing, flamenco, theatre, painting, video-creation, and sculpture.
In 1994, along with Juanjo Rubio, founded Neopercusión Centre of Studies; public centre focussed on teaching and development of percussion. His educational motivation has been concentrated in this centre for years. He has been professor in Madrid and Zaragoza’s Schools of Music, he is a regular teacher in several young orchestras, he has arranged summer courses on percussion and participated in them. In addition, he has lectured in several Centres of Studies in Spain and Europe –Amsterdam, Lyon, Montpellier, Basil, Strasbourg, Perpignan’s School of Music, Manchester’s RNCM, London’s RNC and Royal Academy-, America (Monterrey and Jalapa’s Superior Schools), and Asia (Beijing, Shenyang and Sanxy’s Schools of Music).
He is one of the members of the groups Neopercusión (modern music) and Urbethnic (ethnic and electronic music), with whom he has released tour albums Todas las caras de la percusión, (1997), Música hispanoamericana para percusión (1998), URBETHNIC by Neopercusión (1998), and Cerdo in Cage (2003). Some of these albums include his own compositions that have been performed in different scenarios ranking from classical music festivals –such as Granada’s Festival, Soria’s Musical Autumn Festival, Galicia’s Festival, Santander’s Festival-, to contemporary music conferences as Alicante’s Festival, Musiques D´aujordhui-Perpignan (France), San Sebastián’s Musical Fortnight, and different stage manifestations such as Madrid en Danza – Espacios Insólitos, Aula de Nuevas Músicas (Valence) and Reina Sofía’s Museum.
Juanjo Guillem performs only with Zildjian , Malletech, Novapercusio, and Remo instruments.
‘....Juanjo Guillem, marvellous percussionist’
Álvaro Guibert – ABC - 3/04/1999
‘....Juanjo Guillem, whose presence on stage showed his great control of the physical space and the orthodox and innovative percussive techniques resulting from flirtations with other artistic manifestations such as drama, corporal expression, scenifications or even plastic arts.’
José Luís Galiana - Levante – 5/12/2000
