José Valente
background
José Valente is considered amongst the most promising accordionists of his generation. In 2015, he was admitted at The Royal Danish Academy of Music, where he completed an
Advanced Postgraduate Diploma – soloist, in April 2018, under the guidance of Geir Draugsvoll. He was the first Portuguese to enter into the soloist class, at this academy.
He has performed with Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, Orquestra de Câmara de Cascais e Oeiras, Orquestra Clássica da Madeira, Orquestra Gulbenkian, Orquestra Sinfónica Metropolitana, Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música and Remix Ensemble Casa da Música, under the baton of the prestigious conductors Cesário Costa, Daniele Giulio Moles, Misha Rachlevsky, Nikolay Lalov, Pedro Carneiro, Peter Rundel, Olari Elts and Sian Edwards.
He has performed concerts in Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Serbia, Spain and USA, having performed at famous halls such as Casa da Música, Centro Cultural de Belém, Den Sorte Diamant, Elbphilharmonie, Gulbenkian, Kölner Philharmonie, Laeiszhalle, Merkin Concert Hall, Philharmonie de Paris, Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias, among others.
Teaching
In 2019, he became an assistant teacher at The Royal Danish Academy of Music, teaching accordion, chamber music and supervising reflection assignments. He has also given accordion masterclasses in Portugal, Denmark, Lithuania and Poland, teaching at institutions such as Aveiro University, ESART, Évora University, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk, Katowice Music Academy, Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, among others.
Artistic practice
José Valente has collaborated with recognized composers, such as Carlos Azevedo, Francesco Filidei, Jon Lin Chua, Jörg Widmann, Luís Soldado, Nuno da Rocha, Paulo Jorge Ferreira and Rebecca Saunders, having performed several premieres.
José has also won several awards: 1st prize at Concurso de Acordeão de Castelo Branco – Folefest 2008, 2009 and 2012; 1st prize at 6th Concurso de Jovens Intérpretes de Caldas da Rainha, 1st prize at competition Prémio Jovens Músicos 2014, 1st prize ex aequo at 17th Concurso de Interpretação do Estoril | Prémio El Corte Inglés, 1st prize at PIF 2016 - 41st Castelfidardo International Accordion Prize, among other prizes. Also at competition PJM 2014, he got the European Union of Music Competitions for Youth prize (EMCY) and one Gulbenkian Scholarship from Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian. He was the first soloist accordionist to receive the EMCY prize. He was also the first Portuguese to win the Scholarship Competition (2016), for all instruments, at The Royal Danish Academy of Music.
He has perfomed at international music festivals, such as Acht Brücken, Akordeono Festivalis Vilnius, Dias da Música, Marvão International Music Festival, PIF Castelfidardo, PULSAR, “Star of Competitions” Festival, Vinterjazz, among others.
In October 2014, his dissertation, “Concert accordion in Portugal – perceptions and
expectations”, was published by AvA Musical Editions. This study includes the participation of renowned Portuguese musicians: António Victorino d'Almeida, Carlos Marecos, Cristóvão Silva, Fernando Ribeiro, Joaquim Raposo, Paulo Jorge Ferreira, Sérgio Azevedo and Vitorino Matono.
In 2019, he recorded his first album, Modern Music Spectrum, which was published by
Aulicus Classics label. The album contains some of the most recognized compositions within the music literature for classical accordion. The last piece from this album, Plus I (for accordion and clarinet), was recorded together with the prestigious Italian clarinetist Giovanni Punzi.