José Luis Ruiz del Puerto

José Luis Ruiz del Puerto is considered one of the strongest values within the contemporary Spanish guitar scene and his extensive dedication to the dissemination of current Spanish music has earned him international recognition. 

The figure of the composer Llácer Pla, with whom he studied musical analysis and composition techniques, exerted a notable influence on his aesthetic and musical development and awakened his interest in contemporary music, a field in which he has achieved important successes: He has fostered the creation of nearly 50 new works for guitar, such as those composed to commemorate the Centenary of the Birth of Federico García Lorca, the Centenary of the Birth of Joaquín Rodrigo, the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Francisco Tárrega or the XX Anniversary of the Death of Andrés Segovia. Numerous Spanish composers have dedicated their works to him and he has made premieres and first recordings of works by many of them. 

In 1998 he premiered, together with the Valencia Orchestra, the orchestral version of the "Episodios Concertantes" by the composer Francisco Llácer Pla, conducted by maestro Manuel Galduf. In August 2009, he performed with great success the world premiere of the Concert for Guitar and Orchestra dedicated to the Centenary of Francisco Tárrega: "Somni", by the composer Vicente Roncero, within the Benicàssim International Guitar Competition “Francisco Tárrega” and in April 2011 he premiered in the Palau de la Música in Valencia the concert for orchestra, narrator, mezzo-soprano, live electronics and guitar “Vitas et Veritate” by the composer Emilio Calandín, together with the Valencia Orchestra conducted by Yaron Traub. 

He was born in Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo (Córdoba) and educated musically in Valencia. He studied guitar at the Conservatory of Music in that city with Mª Ángeles Abad and Mª Rosa Gil Bosque with whom he finished his degree brilliantly. He perfected his studies in Alicante, Paris and Salzburg with José Tomás, Alberto Ponce and Eliot Fisk respectively. He also gave master classes with players such as David Russell, Manuel Barrueco, José Miguel Moreno and Roberto Aussel. 

He has performed in Spain, Mexico, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Romania, England, Portugal, Ireland, Germany, Turkey, Russia and Morocco, performing at festivals and venues such as the VI International Guitar Festival in Mexico DF, Festival International Guitar Festival of Bath and International Guitar Festival of London and Newcastle (England), International Music Festival of Estoril (Portugal), International Festival of Contemporary Music of Alicante, International Guitar Festival "Andrés Segovia" of Madrid, International Guitar Week of Dublin (Ireland), Concert Season of the Grand Théatre de Bordeaux (France), International Guitar Festival "Andrés Segovia" of Linares, International Guitar Festival of Hondarribia, Peñíscola and Palencia, International Music Festival "5 Segles de Música a L'Eliana”, Valencia International Guitar Conference, COMA 2000 Contemporary Music Festival at the Teatro Real in Madrid, International Festival Guitar Final at the Gran Teatro de Córdoba, Lausanne International Guitar Festival (Switzerland), ENSEMS International Contemporary Music Festival at the Rialto Theater, Talía Theater and Palau de la Música in Valencia, Juan March Foundation in Madrid, Théatre Maison Bleu of Paris, Georges Enescu Museum of Bucharest and Philharmonic Hall of Cluj Napoca (Romania), International Guitar Festival of Rust (Austria), International Guitar Festival Delle due Cittá Treviso-Roma (Italy), International Guitar Festival of Ponti sul Mincio and Rietti (Italy), Cieux International Guitar Festival (France)… 

He has recorded a world premiere and was published in 2009, for the Columna Música record label, a CD dedicated to unpublished and original music for guitar and voice and guitar by the composer Miguel Asins Arbó, a project on which he worked with Josefa Cebrián, widow of the composer, being the first guitarist to tackle this repertoire. He has recorded for Romanian radio and television, RNE, Primton, EGT, Ars Armónica, Tempus Clasico and has participated in various record productions. 

His CD dedicated to contemporary Spanish music inspired by Federico García Lorca “La mirada contemporánea” (Ars Armónica 2011), has had great international recognition. 

She has recorded for the prestigious Mexican label Tempus Clásico a CD dedicated entirely to the repertoire composed of women composers: “Sonidos de Mujer”, recording novelties and world premieres by authors such as Claudia Montero (2014 and 2016 Latin Grammy Award), Teresa Borrás and Mme. Sydney Praten. 

In his chamber music facet, his dedication to the accompaniment of concert songs stands out, interpreting repertoires such as the cycle "La Bella Molinera" by Franz Schubert or various Spanish music programs. He has also participated in the commemorative acts of the Centenary of Maestro Rodrigo, interpreting the entirety of his work for voice and guitar. Likewise, he collaborates with other instrumentalists in a duo performing as a group at numerous European festivals. 

He has given various conferences and master classes on contemporary guitar, has written for the specialized magazine Acordes and has published a method dedicated to teaching the guitar. 

He is a founding member of the Valencia International Guitar Conference, artistic director of the Alhambra International Guitar Competition and, as a teacher, he teaches classes in the Guitar Department of the José Iturbi Conservatory in Valencia. 

Ruiz del Puerto usually plays with a José Miguel Moreno model Alhambra Guitar and RC Strings “Sonata”. 

www.ruizdelpuerto.com