The multi-award-winning Spanish clarinetist Jose Franch-Ballester is considered one of the finest classical soloists and chamber music artists of his generation. He has been hailed for his “technical wizardry and tireless enthusiasm” (The New York Times), and his “subtle and consummate artistry” (Santa Barbara Independent). The recipient of a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2008, and winner of both the Young Concert Artists and Astral Artists auditions, he is a solo artist and chamber musician in great demand.

Mr. Franch-Ballester is a recently-appointed Assistant Professor of Clarinet and Chamber Music at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Mr. Franch-Ballester regularly performs as the Principal Clarinetist at Camerata Pacifica in Santa Barbara, California and appears with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York. As a concerto soloist, he has performed with orchestras such us the BBC Concert Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional of Mexico, I Musici Montreal, and Orquesta of the Radio Television in Spain, among others. He collaborates regularly with chamber music festivals around the globe such as Music@Menlo, Mainly Mozart, Chamber Music Northwest, Nexus Festival Tokyo, Westport Festival Ireland, Kon-Tiki Festival Norway and the Dresden Music Festival.

Born in Moncofa into a family of musicians, Mr. Franch-Ballester graduated from the Joaquin Rodrigo Music Conservatory in Valencia, continuing his studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied with Donald Montanaro and Ricardo Morales. As a recording artist, he has appeared on labels such as Deutsche Gramophon, Harmonie Mundi and Warner Music.