Photo: Igor Studio

Josep Puchades

Born in Valencia, Josep Puchades studied in Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid, Yale University and Mozarteum Salzburg. Main teachers include Luis Llácer, Jesse Levine, Tokyo String Quartet and Thomas Riebl.

Passionate chamber musician he is currently the violist of Cuarteto Quiroga, prizewinner of several of the most prestigious international competitions for String Quartet (Bordeaux, Geneva, Paolo Borciani, Beijing, Paris), Premio Nacional de Música 2018, the Spanish Radio Culture Prize (Ojo Crítico 2007) and the Gold Medal of the Palau in Barcelona. Cuarteto Quiroga tours regularly worldwide, performing at the most important venues and festivals of the international scene.

Before joining Cuarteto Quiroga he was an active orchestra musician as a member of Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Luzern Festival Orchestra and co-principal viola in Palau de les Arts orchestra in Valencia under the leadership of Lorin Maazel and Zubin Mehta. He has also been invited to serve as guest principal violist in orchestras like Camerata Salzburg, Orchestre d’Auvergne, Camerata Bern, Orquesta Nacional de España, Orquesta sinfónica de Radio Televisión Española and Orchestra Sinfónica della RAI, and has worked with conductors like Claudio Abbado, Seiji Ozawa, Valery Gergiev, J.E Gardiner, Andris Nelsons, Pierre Boulez and Daniel Harding.

A very committed pedagogue, he has taught viola and chamber music in the Real Conservatorio de Música de Madrid and Conservatorio Superior de Música de Aragón and is currently viola professor In Musikene (San Sebastian).

As a violist he has been awarded several prizes, such as 3rd Prize in the II internacional Viola Competition in Viena and 1st prize in the Woolsey hall Competition, New Haven (USA), and played as soloist with Orquesta de Cámara Reina Sofía, Viena Radio Orchestra, Yale Philharmonia and Jove Orquesta de la Comunitat Valenciana.

He has given recitals in Europe, USA and has played chamber music with artists like Martha Argerich, Veronika Hagen, Julian Rachlin, Valentin Erben, Gary Hoffman, Antje Weithass, Jerusalem String Quartet, Doric String Quartet and Quatour Voce.