Biography
Photo by Zachariah Schmitt
Since his international debut in 2011 Alberto Agut has been established as one of the clarinetists with greater projection of his generation. He is consolidating himself as a solo, chamber and orchestra clarinet player. He has captivated the audience and criticism with his enthusiasm and musical instinct that, undoubtedly, contribute with a daring and distinctive freshness to his concerts and projects.
His musical commitments have allowed him to perform in Italy, France, Sweden, Portugal, United Kingdom, Romania, Canada and the United States where he has been able to play in halls as the Carnegie Music Hall, Disney Concert Hall, Liceo d’Artă de Baia Mare, Benedict Tent, Joan and Irving Harris Concert Hall, FolketsHus Vänersborg, Trollhättan FolketHus, Bing Theater, Bovard Auditorium, Palau de la Música Catalana, Palau de la Musica de Valencia and Auditori de Castelló among others. He has collaborated with orchestras such as the Orquesta Simfónica de Madrid “Teatro Real”, Swedish chamber orchestra Camerata Nordica, Madrid Chamber Orchestra, Aspen Philarmonic and Aspen Opera House, Symphony Orchestra of Vallés among others, where he has worked with directors as Carl St. Clair, James Conlon, Robert Spano, Hugh Wolf, Federico Cortese, Jane Glover, Johannes Gustafsson, among others.
His commitment to the expansion of the clarinet repertoire had led him to work with composers to create new works and projects. His biggest program developing project for this 2022/2023 season is SPANISH DANCES, which is commissioned by the leading Swedish chamber orchestra Camerata Nordica. Spanish Dances is an unique creation that develops a special connection between the public and the artists through an outstanding music performance format that combines storytelling and music. For this project he will collaborate with Camerata Nordica and the prestigious Spanish composer Vicente Ortiz Gimeno. This project is conducted, designed and performed by Agut. In addition, his recent collaboration with the composer Daniel Royo has given as fruit the Double Concert for clarinet and violin the La Dama del Bosc, meant to be premiered with former Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s concertmaster Andrés Cárdanes in Pittsburgh.
During his career he has collaborated with artists like Alban Gerhardt, Casals Quartet, Sarah Chang, Yury Revich, Francisco Fullana, Laura Park Chen, Julianne J. Lee, Gergana Gergova, Chul-Geun Park, Sono Tokuda, Armen Nazarian, Paquito D’Rivera, Alfonso Venturi, as well as artists from Kölner Philarmonie, Chicago Opera, Chicago Symphony, Dresden Philarmonie, the NDR Elbphilmonie, Orquesta Simfónica de Madrid, Opera de Valencia, Europe Chamber Orchestra and Royal Danish Orchestra among others. He has made tours playing Mozart and Nielsen’s concertos, recording them in 2016 and 2017 together with the Orquestra de Cambra de Castelló and for the 2022/2023 season he will record his the Brahms Sonatas with pianist Harrison Herman.
Other projects for the 2022/2023 season include a tour with Madrid Chamber Orchestra playing the Vivaldi Concertos for Clarinet, an European Tour with Camerata Nordica playing Nielsen’s Clarinet concerto, and several chamber music engagements at international festivals in both Europe and United States.
He is annually invited to the European Clarinet Institute where he teaches along with clarinetists as Martin Fröst (concertist), Florent Héau (professor at L’Hemu de Laussane), Harri Mäkki (professor at the Academy Sibelius), Björn Nyman (principal clarinet in Norwegian National Orchestra), Alberto Álvarez (principal clarinet of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra).
Agut is building his career as a solo, chamber and orchestra clarinetist in both Europe and the United States. This wide range of formats is due to his determination to explore the existing repertoire and formats of the clarinet literature at the same time that he dedicates time to work with composers to build new projects. To achieve this multi format goal, he participates in international orchestras and festivals around the world performing standard and contemporary repertoire at the same time he tours playing solo and chamber music with standard and program/format developing projects.
“Agut is one of those rare cases. We usually see this kind of personality and diverse career in other solo instrumentalists like violinists, cellists or some orchestra players like concertmasters or some very selected winds from well renowned orchestras.” – Castelló Music Festival, President.
“Despite his young age, (…) He is one of the most impressive clarinetists of his generation.” – Swedish chamber orchestra Camerata Nordica.
His constant interest in breaking with old habits in the traditional concert format and its determination to attract a younger audience to classical music has led him to the foundation of a new institution at his hometown in 2013, the Castelló Music Festival. As Artistic Director of it, he invites recognized international artists to offer concerts in the province of Castelló and influences the festival to consolidate the public of the future – the younger generation. In 2018 he was distinguished with the prestigious Award of the Dávalos-Fletcher Foundation, with which he collaborates regularly. Other prizes include the Aspen Music Festival Fellowship, a Thornton School of Music Concerto Competition Award, Valencian Community Award for Youth Interpreters, among other prizes in national competitions in Spain.
Agut graduated at the Superior Conservatory of Castelló with J. E. Romero and during this years he also studied at the private studio of Venancio Rius. Later he moved to the United States to study with Yehuda Gilad at USC Thornton School of Music and finished his studies at the Carnegie Mellon University of Pittsburgh with Michael Rusinek, principal clarinet of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
In February 2021 he was named Ambassador de Vandoren.