Cor Jove
Pablo Larraz
Director de l’Orfeó Català, codirector del Cor Jove de l’Orfeó Català y director de l’Escola Coral de l'Orfeó Català
Pablo Larraz Dalmases began studying music in his hometown of Jaca. In Barcelona, he studied music teaching at the UAB, graduated in piano from the Municipal Conservatory of Barcelona under Professor Carme Poch, studied choral conducting at the Catalonia College of Music (ESMUC) under the tutelage of Josep Vila, Johan Duijck and Xavier Puig, and was tutored in historical singing by tenor Lambert Climent. Larraz has taught music in primary schools and has conducted children’s and youth choirs, including El Virolet at the association Lluïsos de Gràcia, the Cor Jove at the Girona Conservatory (he was a founding member, and conducted the choir from 2013-2019) and the Cor Albada of the Agrupació Cor Madrigal (2007-2013). He has also worked with several adult choirs, highlights of which include the Cor de Cambra of the Diputació de Girona (2008-2019). In the 2019-20 season he was appointed principal conductor for the Orfeó Català, where he had previously been assistant conductor and coordinator and responsible for the singers’ vocal and musical training. During the 2022-23 season, he conducted the Orfeó Català, the Cor Jove youth choir, and directed the Choral School. Larraz was recently appointed as music director for the Orfeó Gracienc.
He can regularly be found at choral singing workshops throughout Catalonia. He has been a member of the technical team of the Catalan Federation of Youth Choirs (CJC) and has been part of the teaching team on the choral conducting courses run by the Catalan Choir Federation for the past three years. Larraz has also sung with the Palau Cor de Cambra, Coro Barroco de Andalucía, Cor Francesc Valls and Musica Rerservata. In 2014 he won the Bach scholarship, cementing his position as a leading soloist specialising in baroque repertoire.
Oriol Castanyer
Codirector del Cor Jove de l'Orfeó Català
Oriol Castanyer began his music studies at the Municipal Conservatory of Sant Cugat del Vallès and continued them at the Professional Conservatory of Terrassa, the Municipal Conservatory of Barcelona and the Liceu Conservatory, where he obtained a higher degree in piano with pianist Miquel Farré.
He also studied choral conducting with Elisenda Carrasco, Xavier Sans, Mireia Barrera and Xavier Puig, graduating with a degree in choral conducting from the Catalonia College of Music (ESMUC), where he studied under Josep Vila i Casañas and Johan Duijck.
Castanyer is interested in a range of musical genres, and is part of the traditional and popular music group Amanida Folk, with whom he has performed concerts throughout Catalonia, as well as Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and France. He has taught choral singing at the Terrassa Conservatory, and has given classes in harmony at the Aula de So music school in Sant Cugat del Vallès.
He has collaborated with La Caixa Foundation as a pianist and stage director for participatory concerts of Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah. Since 2011, Castanyer has worked with the Educational Service at the Auditori de Barcelona as music director for the Cantània and Canta Gran projects. He is regularly invited to teach courses and workshops for a range of different organisations and festivals (including FCEC, SCIC, Corearte and AEMCAT).
He worked with the Lieder Càmera choir as co-répétiteur and deputy conductor between 2008 and 2014. He has accompanied the Orfeó Català children’s choir, the Cor Infantil, on piano, and was also pianist for the Cor Jove Nacional de Catalunya between 2013-2017. In addition, he was conductor for the Coral Sinera de Lluïsos de Gràcia (2012-2019). In 2001 he founded Cor Aglepta, a women’s chorus that he has led since then. He is currently also the conductor and pianist for the Sant Cugat Cor Infantil, and he has conducted Coral Sant Jordi since 2016. In September 2022, Castanyer became co-conductor of the Cor Jove at the Orfeó Català.
Paul Perera Arguedas
Pianista del Cor Jove de l'Orfeó Català
Paul Perera Arguedas began his musical studies at Le Violon Rouge music school in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, studying under Maria Rosa Arguedas. He finished his professional degree at the Municipal Conservatory of Barcelona, studying under Professor Maria Carme Poch, and he graduated in piano from the Catalonia College of Music (ESMUC) under the tutelage of Maria Jesús Crespo. He subsequently studied two postgraduate courses at the Liceu Conservatory with Luiz de Moura Castro. He studied choral conducting with Poire Vallvé, with whom he worked as deputy conductor for the Orfeó Gracienc (2012-2014).
Perera’s long career as a piano accompanist in the choral world has led him to specialise in this field, and as a result he has worked with highly prestigious choirs and conductors, both in Spain and further afield. From 2013-2018 he was a member of the technical team for the Catalan Children’s Choir Federation (SCIC) and gave the first-ever piano performance of the work L’enfilall by Josep Vila i Casañas at the 50th General Meeting of the SCIC. From 2019-2020 he was the pianist for the Orfeó Català children’s choir, the Cor Infantil, which was invited to perform at the Choralies de Vaison-la-Romaine Festival in 2019. Since 2021, he has directed and taught the course for Accompanying Choir Pianists run by the Catalan Children’s Choir Federation.
Paul Perera Arguedas is currently the pianist for the youth choir at the Orfeó Català, the Cor Jove—co-conducted by Pablo Larraz and Oriol Castanyer—and he is also the pianist and deputy conductor of Roig Korai (the women’s chorus of the Orfeó Gracienc), which is conducted by Laia Santanach.