José Hernández-Pastor

José Hernández-Pastor first studied at the Schola Cantorum d'Algemesí (Valencia, Spain) with Diego Ramón i Lluch. He graduated as a piano teacher in Valencia in 1996 and obtained a BA in Musicology at the University of Oviedo in 1998. He then pursued his passion for Early Music and singing, proceeding to specialist studies at the prestigious Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (Basel, Switzerland), where he was a pupil of Richard Levitt (1998-2000) and Andreas Scholl (2000-2003). He left Basel with a Solo Diploma for Renaissance and Baroque.

Since his time at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, he has worked with renowned conductors such as Jordi Savall, Eduardo López Banzo, Dominique Vellard and Carles Magraner, performing at many concerts and recording with La Capella Reial de Catalunya, La Capella de Ministrers, Ensemble Gilles Binchois and Al Ayre Español.

In 1998, he formed El Cortesano with Ariel Abramovich, a duo that concentrates exclusively on spreading the Spanish repertoire for vihuela. Six years later he moved into conducting with Cantoría Hispánica, an ensemble dedicated to Spanish polyphony and Baroque music, of which he was a founder member. Since 2005 he has been a member of La Colombina quartet, which has forged a strong reputation through regular performing and recording.

As a soloist for oratorio and opera, he has worked with the aforementioned conductors, as well as Joshua Rifkin, Andrea Marcon, Diego Fasolis, Fabio Bonizzoni, Jacques Ogg, and with groups such as La Risonanza, Seville Baroque Orchestra, Al Ayre Español Baroque Orchestra, Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Choir of the Palau de la Música Catalana (Barcelona) and the University of Salamanca Baroque Orchestra. In opera, he made his debut as Don Quixote in the opera La Dulcinea at the Teatro Real in Madrid, which was also performed at the Teatro Maestranza in Seville and the Liceu in Barcelona.

His soloist discography includes El Parnasso (Arcana 316), winner of many critical plaudits, and Para qu'es dama tanto quereros (Carpe Diem) both with El Cortesano, Motetti di Willaert (Stradivarius) with Academia della Selva, and La harpe de melodie (Licanus) with Capella de Ministrers. His ensemble recordings include Motetes, Canciones y Villanescas (K617) with La Colombina and winner of a Diapasón D'Or award, Carlos V Emperador (Alia Vox) with Jordi Savall, and Júpiter y Semele (Harmonia Mundi Ibérica) with Al Ayre Español, which won a Spanish Premio Nacional de Música.

As a teacher, he has worked with singers at the Aracena Early Music Festival from 2004, at the Guadassuar Early Music Course from 2006, and has been a visiting teacher at the courses of the Junta de Andalucía Baroque Choir and the University of Salamanca.