Josefina Urraca
Josefina Urraca, co-director of CreArtBox and Festival ADAR, is a Spanish pianist whose restless and dynamic temperament has brought her to many of the world’s most important music schools in cities such as Madrid, Paris, London and New York, having learnt from great musicians, like her main piano teachers and mentors Dmitri Bashkirov, Maria Joao Pires, Ferenc Rados, Patrín García Barredo, Claudio Martínez-Menher, Josep Colom, Kennedy Moretti, Frank Wibaut, Eva Gigosos, and Guigla Katsarava. Her performances have been praised by “her introspection and musical debauchery” – Mundo Clásico.
She has given concerts in many major concert halls, such as Salle Cortot in Paris, Collège d’Espagne at La Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, Auditorio Sony de Madrid, Carnegie Hall, Monten Hall in Tokyo, and others. She has appeared in Classical Music programs on Spanish Television and Radio.
In her extensive academic career she has studied at some worldwide renowned music schools such as: Salamanca Conservatory, Alcalá de Henares University, L’École Normale Supérieure de Musique “Alfred Cortot” in Paris, Reina Sofía Music School in Madrid, and Manhattan School of Music.
Over the last fifteen years, Josefina has been awarded by different Foundations such as: the New York State Council on the Arts, the Asturias government, Queens Council on the Arts, the Spanish Embassy, Manhattan School of Music, Caja Madrid, Luis Galvé, Amphion Foundation, Alice M. Ditson, Caja Rural Foundation and Albéniz Foundations and has received prizes in the Savvy Musicians in Action International Competition, INJUVE, Montehermoso Contemporary Creation, Ciudad de Carlet International Competitions, and Rotary Club.
Josefina Urraca is a distinguished pianist and one of the co-founders of CreArtBox. She has played a pivotal role in shaping the artistic vision of the ensemble, working alongside Guillermo Laporta to produce innovative performances that combine classical music with visual and theatrical elements. Urraca is recognized for her skills as a pianist and her dedication to creating interdisciplinary art experiences that are accessible to diverse audiences.
CreArt Box has been celebrated by The New Yorker as one of its “art and music top picks”, and by Time Out as an “ensemble devoted to multidisciplinary events”. Through thoughtfully designed programs, CreArtBox strives to cultivate an appreciation for the arts in today’s society. In 2023, this organization celebrates its 10th anniversary season and has solidified its presence as a leading force in the world of classical and contemporary music and a hub of creativity in New York City.
In addition to her performances with CreArtBox, Urraca has an extensive background in music education and has contributed to various projects aimed at promoting music and the arts within the community. Her collaborations often include working with other prominent musicians and artists to bring new and meaningful works to life.
Since 2021, alongside flutist Guillermo Laporta, Josefina has been the founder and co-director of a platform dedicated to developing the arts in rural areas of Spain. Their flagship project, Festival ADAR, involves organizing an itinerant arts festival featuring classical music concerts, talks, interviews, conferences, commissions for composers, and the creative work of multidisciplinary artists who transform rural landscapes into visual canvases that harmonize with music.
Josefina was born in Palencia, in an environment of professional musicians and lives with her husband Guillermo and their son, Eliot, in New York and in Leiguarda, a small village in Asturias, Spain.