CreArtBox is a New York City-based chamber music ensemble founded in 2013 by flutist Guillermo Laporta and pianist Josefina Urraca, together with core members Emilie-Anne Gendron (violin), Matthew Cohen (viola), and Julia Yang (cello). Now in its twelfth season, the ensemble performs regularly in New York City and tours nationally and internationally, with appearances across the United States, Spain, Europe, and Japan.
CreArtBox has earned recognition from major arts publications: The New Yorker named the ensemble among its art and music top picks, and BroadwayWorld described its performances as "wholly authentic, visually and aurally compelling." The ensemble's work has been supported by grants and awards from the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Amphion Foundation, among other funders.
Since its founding season, CreArtBox has run an open Call for Scores, through which it has premiered works by Pulitzer Prize-winning composers alongside emerging voices, and mentored composers early in their careers.
Guillermo Laporta (flute) is a Spanish flutist, composer, and designer, and Artistic Director of CreArtBox and Festival ADAR. Josefina Urraca (piano) is a Spanish pianist and student of Dmitri Bashkirov, whose playing exemplifies "introspection and musical abandon." Violinist Emilie-Anne Gendron has been lauded by The Strad for her "marvelous and lyrical playing" and appears with major orchestras and ensembles. Violist Matthew Cohen, a special prize winner at the Primrose International Viola Competition, is described as one of the most sought-after violists of his generation. Cellist Julia Yang, praised for "her sense of joyful virtuosity," is a founding member of the Naumburg-winning Merz Trio. Beyond its core chamber programs, CreArtBox also produces larger-scale productions and co-produces Festival ADAR, an international arts festival held in rural Asturias, Spain.
