The Belgian National Orchestra aims to bring people and society closer together and reconcile. This desire for unity has formed part of the Orchestra's DNA and has been its guiding principle since its creation in 1936.
The Palace of Fine Arts in Brussels, which had just been inaugurated that same year, 1936, became the headquarters of the orchestra. Can an orchestra or a musician imagine a more beautiful setting than the impressive Henri Le Boeuf room of this emblematic Art Deco temple? Its incomparable acoustics irresistibly attract world-renowned soloists. Naturally, this unique space has also brought them closer to their partner Bozar.
The mission of the Belgian National Orchestra is also reflected in its collaboration with numerous partners. Together they provide promising talents with all the opportunities they may need to develop their full potential. Brussels is an ideal place for this. In this crossroads of cultures, in this capital of Europe, the ideal breeding ground is created through innovation and experimentation.
The Belgian National Orchestra has obtained a privileged place in the cultural world. Due to the originality of its programming, it places special emphasis on prestigious and innovative works, but also on the discovery of lesser-known scores. In this way, the Belgian National Orchestra maintains a fascinating dialogue with a varied audience. The orchestra is led by the American conductor Hugh Wolff, with Hans Waege as manager and Bozar as a privileged partner.
The orchestra's original concept attracts internationally famous soloists including Vilde Frang, Gidon Kremer and Rolando Villazón.
JOSEP VINCENT, director
Spanish musician with an exciting and unique career, who has led some of the most prestigious symphony ensembles in Spain and the world: London Symphony Orchestra, Slovenian Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Paris Chamber Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, Residentie Orkest Den Haag, Radio Holland, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, kyiv Orchestra, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Royal Theater Orchestra, Orchestra du Teatre Royal de La Monnaie, New World Symphony Miami, Durban and Auvergne Orchestras, National Symphonies of Belgium, Chile, Uruguay, Brazil... and almost all the Spanish symphonic ensembles, being a regular guest teacher with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and the National Orchestra of Catalonia, the Valencia Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Spain...
Since 2015/16 Josep Vicent is the Artistic and Musical Director of ADDA and Principal Director of ADDA Simfònica. He was also Principal Conductor of the Balearic Islands Symphony Orchestra and the Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra (The World Orchestra) from 2005 to 2015, with whom he toured fifteen times on four continents.
A pioneer in exploring new formats and audiences for classical music, he directs opera productions at the Teatro Real in Madrid, the Teatro del Liceo in Barcelona, the Leipzig Opera and the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, among others. He has been working as Musical Director with the acclaimed operatic/theatrical ensemble “La Fura del Baus” since 2014.
With extensive experience in contemporary music, he premiered hundreds of creative works, was Artistic Director of the Xenakis Festival, the Nits de la Mediterrània Festival and the internationally acclaimed Amsterdam Percussion Group. He was an assistant to maestro Alberto Zedda and awarded the International Musical Youth Performance Award, the 2013 "City of Valencia" Arts Award and the "Oscar Esplá" City of Alicante Award. He is an international ambassador designated by D. Federico Mayor Zaragoza for the Culture of Peace Foundation.
In the 2021/22 season he makes his debut in front of the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Mariinsky Theater, the Rouen Opera and the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra. He will combine his position as Principal Conductor of ADDA Simfònica with concerts as guest conductor with the Sinfonietta Cracovia, the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra, the Zuidnederlands Philharmonic and the Orchester National de Lille. He will also be with the OSPA for the Princess of Asturias Awards. In addition, we will be able to see him conducting different ADDA Simfònica programs in Alicante with the collaboration of soloists such as Katia and Marielle Labèque (pianists), Joaquín Riquelme (viola), Leticia Moreno (violin), Cristina Faus and Ramón Vargas (singers), Júlia Gállego (flute ) and Conrado Moya (marimba).
PABLO SÁINZ VILLEGAS, soloist
"Music belongs to the people and the guitar is a voice very close to their heart." Pablo Sáinz-Villegas has been acclaimed by the international press as the successor to Andrés Segovia and an ambassador of Spanish culture in the world, being the first solo guitarist to play at Carnegie Hall in New York since Andrés Segovia did in 1983 and the first guitarist to play with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 2001.
Since his debut with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, he has played in more than forty countries and with orchestras such as Israel, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Nacional de Spain, Tonhalle de Zurich, that of RTVE; with directors such as Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Carlos Kalmar, Alexander Shelley, Richard Egarr, Robert Spano or Juanjo Mena and in theaters such as the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the National Center for the Arts in Beijing and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles among many others, thus becoming the "global ambassador of the Spanish guitar" (Billboard Magazine).
Last season he performed the "Concierto de Aranjuez" with the Berliner Philharmoniker and its principal conductor Kirill Petrenko on the occasion of the New Year's Concert broadcast in Europe by the ARTE television channel. The last guitarist to play with the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Philharmonie was Narciso Yepes in 1982. Among other engagements, he played in venues such as the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Carnegie Hall in New York or the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona.
Plácido Domingo has described him as "the master of the Spanish guitar" and with him he has recorded the album Volver as a duet for the SONY record label; In addition, they have played at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid for more than 85,000 people and on a floating stage in the Amazon River televised for millions of viewers.
A tireless promoter of the development of the guitar repertoire, he has made numerous world premieres, including Rounds, the first work written for guitar by five-time Oscar-winning soundtrack composer John Williams, as well as by composers Tomás Marco, Jesús Torres, María Dolores Malumbres, David del Puerto, Carlos Blanco and Sergio Assad among others. Pablo Sáinz-Villegas has numerous recordings and is currently an exclusive SONY artist.
A regular performer at institutional representation concerts, he has had the privilege of playing for members of the Spanish Royal Family, international leaders such as the Dalai Lama, Sotheby's auction house and the Grammys.
He has been awarded more than thirty international prizes, as well as the Riojan Arts Award, the Ojo Crítico award from Radio Nacional de España and the Trelles Villademoros award granted by the Royal Corps of Nobility of the Principality of Asturias.
An artist socially committed to today's world, Pablo Sáinz Villegas founded in 2006 the philanthropic project, The Legacy of Music Without Borders, through which he has shared his music with more than 45,000 children and young people around the world. During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, he offered live concerts through social networks and his videos had more than 300,000 views.
The 2021/22 season will see Sáinz Villegas together with ADDA Simfònica, Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias, RNÈ National Symphonic Orchestra in Ireland, Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife and Elbphilharmonie, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony, and Minnesota Beethoven Festival, among others . He will perform alongside directors such as Josep Vicent, Jaime Martín, Marcelo Lehninger, Pablo González and Alexander Shelley.
«Music is the language of emotions, a journey to the most intimate part of our sensitivity and an ideal tool to humanize this world. It is between notes where I find the magic in music and through it I feel lucky to have the opportunity to inspire”.
Pablo Sáinz Villegas was born in La Rioja (Spain) and since 2001 he has lived in New York City.
