Born on 25 August 1972 in Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Pascual Martinez Forteza is since 2001 the first and so far only Spanish musician in the history of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

Orchestra career

Martinez Forteza started playing clarinet at age 10 with his father Pascual V. Martinez, clarinet teacher of the Baleares Conservatory of Music (Spain) and principal clarinet at the Baleares Symphony Orchestra for 30 years.

In 1991, at the age of 18, he joined the Baleares Symphony Orchestra, where he performed for 7 years as second clarinet as well as e-flat and principal clarinet on many ocassions. After earning the Master’s degree from the Baleares and Liceo de Barcelona Music Conservatories (Spain), Martínez Forteza pursued Advanced Studies at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles (USA) with professor Yehuda Gilad, where he won first prize in the University’s 1998 Concerto Competition.

He has taken part in many different festivals and summer camps in Europe, together with remarkable teachers such as Andrew Marriner, Anthony Pay, Enrique Perez, Michele Zukovsky, Mitchel Lurie, and Walter Seyfarth.

From 1998 to 2001, Pascual Martinez Forteza performed as second clarinet of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (USA), also serving as acting associated principal and e-flat during the 1999-2000 season. The following year (2001), he joined the New York Philharmonic as second clarinet, a position he held until the 2008-09 season. Starting in the 2009-2010 season, he will serve as Acting Associate Principal and E-flat with the New York Philharmonic.

Solo performances and other projects

Martinez Forteza has appeared regularly as soloist, recitalist, and master class teacher all over the world. He has performed with numerous leading artists and frequently plays with other New York Philharmonic musicians in venues such as Avery Fisher Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, and Carnegie Hall in New York City (USA). He is a member of the Philharmonic Chamber Soloists, an acclaimed chamber ensemble of virtuoso musicians from the New York Philharmonic, and he regualry performs in the NYPO Chamber Music Series.

In 2001, he founded Vent Cameristic, a wind ensemble made up of professional musicians from Spain. As a soloist with Vent Cameristic, he has played every year at the Conciertos d’estiú in Valencia (Spain), performing clarinet concertos by Mozart, Carl Maria Von Weber, and Artie Shaw, as well as the Concerto for two clarinets by F. Krommer and the Rigoletto Fantasy by L. Bassi. In 2003, Spanish National Radio (RNE) produced a CD featuring selections from these performances. Martinez Forteza has also made recordings for radio and television in Asia, Europe and America.

He is regulary invited to International Festivals like the International Clarinet Festival of Chanchung (China), CarinetFest’09 in Porto (Portugal), Buffet Crampon Summer Festival in Jacksonville (Florida, USA), XI Encuentro Internacional de Clarinetes de Lisboa, (Portugal), etc. where he gives master classes and plays solo recitals with pianist Gema Nieto.

Since 2003, the duo Forteza-Nieto have performed together in Asia, Europe and the USA.

Teaching and Master classes

Martinez Forteza has also served on the faculty of the Santanyi Music School in Spain, and has given master classes at the Balearic Music Conservatory (Spain), New Jersey Clarinet Symposium, University of Southern California, Mannes School of Music, and the Julliard School (all in the USA). In 2005, Martinez Forteza, assisted by Gema Nieto, founded the Benifaio Music Festival, inviting colleagues from the New York Philharmonic to Spain for a week of master classes and concerts.

He has been a jury member at different clarinet competitions such as the prestigious Dos Hermanas International Clarinet Competition in Seville (Spain), or the ICA Young Artist Competition (Sponsored by the ICA International Clarinet Association, held in 2009 in Porto).

Mr. Martínez-Forteza is currently a Faculty Member at NYU New York University and Manhattan School of Music.

 

Pascual Martinez Forteza is a Buffet Crampon Artist and a Vandoren Artist.