A passionate musician committed to engaging audiences with thrilling performances, Spanish conductor Felix Ardanaz is gaining a reputation as a musician equally versed in symphonic repertoire, opera and contemporary music.
Ardanaz has worked as a conductor with a broad number of orchestras, among them: Symphony Orchestra of the Spanish Radio and Television (ORTVE); Tokyo Sinfonia; BBC National Orchestra (BBC NOW); Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra; Hungarian National Orchestra; Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra; Saint Petersburg Symphony Orchestra and Saint Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic; Prague Philharmonia (PKF); North Czech Philharmonic and Morovian Philharmonic Orchestra (Czech Republic); Franz Joseph Haydn Orchestra (Vienna); Berlin Sinfonietta; Aspen Festval Orchesta; Bilbao Symphony Orchestra; National Orchestra of the Basque Country; Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra; Asturias Symphony Orchestra; Extremadura Philharmonic Orchestra, Murcia Symphony Orchestra; La Rioja Philharmonic; Chigiana Orchestra in Siena; London Sinfonietta; Proarte Orchestra in Vienna; Juilliard School Orchestra, among others.
Upcoming engagements as a conductor include concerts with Hungarian National Orchestra; Zagreb Philharmonic;; Prague Philharmonia; Leipzig Symphony Orchestra; Lithuanian State Philharmonic Orchestra, Slovak Symphony Radio Orchestra, and a new CD released conducting the BBC National Orchestra (BBC NOW) preduced by BBC Radio.
He has performed in the following venues: Saint Petersburg Philharmonia with singers of the Mariinsky Theatre, Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall (New York), Wiener Konzerthaus and Musikverein (Vienna), Smetana Hall (Prague), Wigmore Hall (London), Palau de la Musica (Barcelona), National Auditorium (Madrid), Prado Museum, Guggemheim Museum, Aspen Festival, among others. He has worked at the Metropolitan Opera House, Opera di Roma and the Royal Opera House (London) as assistant conductor. Additionally, he has conducted more than 15 opera titles.
After finishing his Piano and Conducting Degrees in the Basque Country (Musikene), he specialized in conducting at the Frederic Chopin University in Warsaw and the Ecole Normale in Paris. Afterwards, he obtained a Masters with distinction at the Royal Academy of Music in London and completed a Postgraduate Degree at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna (MDW). He was a conducting fellow at Aspen Festival, and studied at Tanglewood Music Institute and the Chigiana Academy in Siena as well. His conducting mentors are Yves Abel, Christoph Eschenbach, Robert Spano, Simeon Pironkoff, Daniele Gatti, Johannes Debus and Alexander Polianichko.
His discography consists of six albums with works by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt, Debussy, Ravel and the great masters of the French Baroque school. His performances have been transmitted by the following radio stations: France Musique, BBC Radio 3, Classical Music America and the Spanish National Radio. He has received multiple prizes at international competions, as well as the Critics’ Award of the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona, “Golden Melomano” recording award in Spain, and the Fulbright grant. He has recently been nominated to the prestigious International Classical Music Awards (ICMA 2021).
Felix Ardanaz is fluent in five languages: English, Spanish, French, German and Italian. His repertoire as a conductor expands from the Baroque era to contemporary music. Felix Ardanaz shows an interdisciplinary approach to art: he enlarged his artistic background by studying architecture in Paris. Ardanaz is involved in various programs to involve the new generation of musicians, reach new audiences and make classical music accessible.
biography
félix ardanaz
-Tokyo debut conducting the Tokyo Sinfonia.
-New CD release conducting the BBC National Orchestra Wales, produced by BBC Radio, featuring pieces by Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky and Luc. Release date: September 2023.
-Upcoming engagements with Hungarian National Orchestra and Zagreb Philharmonic (Croatia).
- Debut in Slovakia with the Slovak National Radio Orchestra.
- Recent engagements as a conductor with BBC National Orchestra Wales, Slovak Symphony Radio Orchestra, Leipzig Symphony Orchestra and Franz Joseph Haydn Orchestra in Vienna.
- Concert in Prague with Prague Phiharmonia Orchestra (PKF).
- Nomination to the International Classical Music Awards 2021 (ICMA Awards).
- Concert at Berlin Philharmonie with clarinetist Kevin Spagnolo, first winner of the Geneva International Music Competition.
- Recent engagement, conducting the Symphony Orchestra of the Spanish Radio and Television:
Works by A. Dvorak (Symphony Nº.9, "The New World", B. Bartok (Concerto for two pianos and Percussion) and Montsalvatge. Teatro Monumental (Madrid).
- Interview at Melomano Magazine: "From Saint Petersbourg to the Spanish National Orchestra" (VIEW FULL INTERVIEW)
- Debut with Saint Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Radio House (Saint Petersburg). Works by Tchaikovsky (5th Symphony) and Shostakovich (5th Symphony).
- Debut at Musikverein (Vienna), accompanying singers Kevin Amiel (tenor) and Alexandra Yangel (mezzo). Review available at Klassik magazine (Vienna).
- Concert with Murcia Philharmonic Orchestra. Works by Glinka (Rusland and Ludmila), Shostakovich (9th Symphony) and Chopin (Piano Concerto Nº1).
- Concert at the great hall of Zaragoza's Auditorium (Mozart Hall).
- Debut at Berlin Philharmonie, accompanying SongHa Choi (violin) and Christoph Croisé (cello).
- Concert conducting Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra. Works by Smetana (Ma Vlast) and Brahms (Hungarian Dances).
- Return to Carnegie Hall.
- Ardanaz conducts the opera "Carmen" by G. Bizet at Saint Petersburg Philharmonia. Singers from Mariinsky Theatre.
- Concert with Saint Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, works by Brahms and Shostakovich.
NEWS
“With delicate pastel tones he paints the music atmospherically, making it immediately appealing.
Everything is airy, flexible and of a beguiling purity.” (Pizzicato, Luxembourg)
“The essence of the new music generation”
(Melomano, Spain)
“An innate musical an technical complicity with each work”
(Scherzo, Spain)
“Superlative adjectives aren’t enough to describe his musical artistry”
(Fanfare, USA)
"Stylistically flexible and ideally adapted performance“
(Klassik, Vienna)
"Felix Ardanaz shined with his personality, delicacy and freshness"
(Le Monde, France)
“Passion and sincerity in its purest state”
(Ritmo, Spain)
“His mastery and music command place him near the greatest performers”
(The Classical Music Sentinel, USA)
“With great naturalness, good taste and style”
(Pianiste International, France)
"A technically irreproachable and intensively lived performance"
(ABC Journal, Spain)
“Personality out of the ordinary, with a broad number of musical resources”
(Point Culture, Belgium)
“Artist of an intense energy and great lyricism”
(Opera World)
"No subtleness escapes the complete command of this Spanish star”
(The Whole Note, Canada)
"He presented an extremely demanding program, showing his unique and distinctive personality"
(The Catalan Music Magazine)
REVIEWS
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind,
flight to the imagination and life to everything”
Plato
“Music is the shorthand of emotion”
Leo Tolstoy
“Music is not in the notes, but in the silence between”
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
"Music begins where words end"
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe