“The orchestra sounded warm and well-blended, at home in Poulenc’s music without sacrificing its unmistakeable German timbre. This was undoubtedly a fine performance by Maestro Vicent”

Mark Berry, Boulezian Blogspot review of Poulenc, La Voix Humaine, Leipzig Opera House

Known for the dynamic energy and all-encompassing emotional power of his interpretations, Josep Vicent’s strikingly broad repertoire embraces everything from core symphonic and operatic masterworks to complex contemporary compositions, including new music theatre and ballet scores. Maestro Vicent has been Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of The World Orchestra since 2004 and was appointed Artistic Director of ADDA, the Auditorio de la Diputación de Alicante, in April 2016. He has also worked extensively as an Ambassador of the Culture of Peace Foundation since 2009.

Josep Vicent was born in 1970 in the Valencian town of Altea. He trained as a percussionist at the Amsterdam Conservatory and launched his career in the late 1980s as a soloist and as Artistic Director of the Amsterdam Percussion Group. He also served as a member of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra’s percussion section from 1989 to 1997, a formative period during which he worked with many of the world’s leading conductors. His achievements as a solo artist and with the Amsterdam Percussion Group were recognised with several international prizes, including the Los Angeles Excellence in Performance Award of Recognition.

The World Orchestra, founded under Igor Markevitch’s direction soon after the Second World War, was effectively relaunched following Josep Vicent’s appointment as its Principal Conductor.

He has since led his international ensemble of young musicians on eighteen tours to four continents, performing in such prestigious venues as Vienna’s Konzerthaus, the Berlin Philharmonie, Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts and the Palau de Les Arts in Valencia. In 2009 their recording of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring was named “Best Classical Album of the Year” by the UFI Music Awards.

In addition to his extensive work with The World Orchestra, Maestro Vicent remains in high demand as a guest conductor. His list of past engagements includes appearances with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Paris Chamber Orchestra, the Gewandhausorchester der Oper Leipzig, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Valencia and the Residentie Orchestra. In 2015 he collaborated with Guy Caron, founder of Cirque du Soleil, as co-director and conductor of Julia, an ambitious cross-disciplinary work involving dancers and members of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also worked with Fura dels Baus on the company’s multimedia staging of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, which is set to be revived in Madrid, Alicante and Barcelona in February and March 2017.

Update (July 2017)

In 2004, conductor Josep Vicent assumed the directorship of the Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra, relaunching the project and performing in such prestigious venues as the Berlin Philharmonie, Vienna Konzerthaus and the Beijing Philharmonie. The countries they have visited include, among others, Cyprus, Austria, Germany, Holland, Canada, China, Spain, Mexico, South Africa, The Balkans, Lebanon.

With The World Orchestra project revived, now managed by East-West Music. This combination of youthand solidarity uses music not only as a way to entertain, but as a way to communicate ideas and a platform to spread the social involvement of the young musicians from over 64 countries who take part in the project. In recent years The World Orchestra has carried out intense diplomatic work, promoting international cooperation through music.

Recent activities include the tour throughout Asia and Europe; solidarity concerts in Central America, performing not only at the best concert halls of the country but also in the most deprived areas of the Mexican desert in collaboration with Peace Correspondents.

The World Orchesta’s album “Overtures of Martin y Soler” received unanimous acclaim from the critics in 2008, and their recording of Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” was awarded Best Album of the Year 2009. The orchestra has recently published its album “Live Emotions 4. The World Orchestra plays Maurice Ravel”, this album is in collaboration with the well-known soprano Angeles Blancas.

Over last 2012/2014 season, The World Orchestra travelled around South Africa, Netherlands, Spain and Balkans with its United in Music project. Activities included: an intercultural concert with more than 150 performers from South Africa and Europe at Durban City Hall; different educational activities and workshops for children and young people with less access to music and culture; concerts as resident orchestra at Pollença Festival (Spain) and Grachtenfestival (Netherlands); concerts for the annual season of Ibermúsica, as well as a wide variety of activities and concerts.

In its aim of sharing peace though music, this 2015 The World Orchestra has traveled to Lebanon to take part as a resident orchestra at Al-Bustan Festival.

Currently, The World Orchestra is immersed in setting up of its next season 2015-2016. Its projects will include tours through: Brazil, Holland, China and Spain. MORE