Tres Cantes Flamencos by Josema García Hormigo with The Vancouver Chamber Choir

Spanish composer Josema García Hormigo’s choral piece “Tres Cantes Flamencos,” blending Andalusian flamenco with techniques from Canadian composer Murray Schafer, will premiere in Toronto with The Vancouver Chamber Choir.

Josema García Hormigo has been selected for the RBC Bridges Emerging Composers Program by Soundstreams, an annual initiative that offers composers from around the world the opportunity to collaborate with mentors and professional ensembles, culminating in the premiere of new works.

On this occasion, Tres Cantes Flamencos, a piece for mixed choir, will have its premiere. In this work, García Hormigo blends the oral tradition of Andalusian flamenco with compositional techniques inspired by Canadian composer Murray Schafer. Tres Cantes Flamencos will be performed by The Vancouver Chamber Choir, an ensemble recognized for its excellence in contemporary choral music.

Josema García Hormigo

Born in Málaga, Spain, Josema García Hormigo studied composition at the Superior Music Conservatory of Aragón (C.S.M.A.) under Agustín Charles, Jesús Navarro, Juanjo Eslava, Nacho de Paz, and Borja Quintas. He also trained in improvisation and jazz piano. While collaborating with Elena Ruiz-Ortega and the C.S.M.A. Chamber Choir, he discovered his passion for choral composition.

In 2020, he won the 41st International Frédéric Mompou Award in Barcelona for his piece Neon Issues: Saxophone and Accordion Duo. In 2021, he participated in the Innopraktika and Russian Seasons School Music Session in St. Petersburg. This three-week program brought together singers, conductors, and composers from around the world to create a piece for orchestra titled The Nightingale and the Rose: Romance on Bulerías. In 2022, he composed the music for Otelo¿?, a play by Guillermo Ríos produced by Zarigüeya Teatro in Granada.

He was commissioned by the Goya Foundation to write an opera for choir, actors, and ensemble about Goya’s exile in France, titled Francisco de Goya: Going Elsewhere Through Music. This work is based on a text by José Luis Cano and was created in collaboration with stage director Alberto Castrillo Ferrer, set designer Vanesa Hernández, and lighting designer Luis Perdiguero. It premiered in March 2022 and received the Incentive for the Premiere of Large Format Works from the SGAE in 2023.

Recently, he has received commissions for choral works for the Saulus Festival in Zaragoza (2022) and Coro Nubah in Granada (2023).

His work in theater has naturally led to an interest in music for audiovisual media. He is currently studying at the National Superior Conservatory of Music and Dance in Lyon and the Royal Conservatory of Ghent.