Xavier Puertas

Department of Early Music

xpuertas@esmuc.cat

Contrabaix històric/Violone
Cambra


Education

Born in Barcelona, he received his musical education at the Municipal Conservatory of this city and at the Wiener Konservatorium, studying double bass under the guidance of Ferran Sala and Andrew Ackerman, respectively.

Career

As an orchestra musician, he was a member of the OBC (Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya) and performed with groups such as the Teatre Lliure Chamber Orchestra and the Grupo Enigma. Later, he specialised in the interpretation of baroque music on original instruments, and played with groups like the Orquestra Barroca Catalana, Le Concert Français, Ricercar Consort, Concentus Musicus Wien, Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla, Al Ayre Español, and other specialised ensembles. Since 1998, he has been performing with those groups directed by Jordi Savall, such as Le Concert des Nations and Hesperion XXI.

Teaching

He began his professional career teaching double bass at the Conservatory of Cervera in 1994, where he currently resides and continues to teach. He also teaches at the Escolania de Montserrat, the Early Music Department of the Conservatory of Girona, and various summer courses, where he instructs both classical and baroque double bass and violone to students of all ages. In 2020, he started working at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC) as a professor of historical double bass and violone.