José González Granero (born February 11, 1985) is a Spanish clarinetist and composer. Since 2010, he is the Principal Clarinet for the San Francisco Opera.

Early life and education

Granero was born in Iznatoraf,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

to a family of musicians. His father, Pedro González, is the director of the local music band in Iznatoraf. When José was only 6 years old, his father taught him to play the ''Caja'', which is similar to a

Snare Drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...

. Then he learned to play the

Saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

at the ''Conservatorio Elemental de Música de

Cazorla Cazorla is a municipality of Spain located in the province of Jaén, Andalusia. According to the 2006 census (INE), it had a population of 8,173 inhabitants. Description Cazorla lies at an elevation of 836 metres on the western slope of the Si ...

''. Later on, he also studied

Clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

and

Piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

at the ''Conservatorio Profesional de Música de Jaén''. Granero completed undergraduate studies at the Granada Superior Conservatory (Spain) and the Milan Conservatory. In 2007, he moved to Los Angeles to attend the USC Thornton School of Music and the

Colburn School The Colburn School is a private music school in Los Angeles with a focus on music and dance. It consists of four divisions: the Conservatory of Music, Music Academy, Community School of Performing Arts and the Dance Academy. It is located adjace ...

for studies with Yehuda Gilad.

Career

In 2010, Granero joined the San Francisco Opera as principal clarinetist. He was selected from over 249 applicants and 129 finalists. Following the 2011 season, he was offered tenure. Besides his participation with the Opera Orchestra, he has also been invited to perform in guest appearances with the

San Francisco Ballet San Francisco Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the United States, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet under the leadership of ballet master Adolph Bolm. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Franc ...

and the

San Francisco Symphony The San Francisco Symphony (SFS), founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San Fr ...

. He has also performed as guest principal clarinet with the

Norwegian Radio Orchestra The Norwegian Radio Orchestra (Norwegian, ''Kringkastingsorkestret'', abbreviated as KORK) is a radio orchestra affiliated with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (''Norsk rikskringkasting AS'', or NRK). Its principal base is the ''Store Studi ...

, Odense Symphony Orchestra,

Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia is a Spanish orchestra, created in 1992 and based in A Coruña. Its conductor is Dima Slobodeniouk. 2012-13 staff * Violins I: Massimo Spadano (CM), Ludwig Dürichen (CMA), Vladimir Prjevalski (CMA), Ruslan Asanov, ...

and the

City of Granada Orchestra The Granada City Orchestra (in Spanish: ''Orquesta Ciudad de Granada'', OCG) is a Spanish orchestra based in Granada, Spain. Its primary concert venue is the ''Auditorio Manuel de Falla''. The City of Granada and the provincial council of A ...

among others.

References

External links

San Francisco Opera
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez Granero, Jose 1985 births Living people People from the Province of Jaén (Spain) Spanish clarinetists 21st-century clarinetists Milan Conservatory alumni