Short Bio
Josefina Urraca is a Spanish pianist and co-director of CreArtBox and the Festival ADAR, praised by *Mundo Clásico* for the “introspection and musical abandon” of her playing.
Her performances have brought her to stages including the Salle Cortot in Paris, the Sony Auditorium in Madrid, Carnegie Hall in New York, and Monten Hall in Tokyo. Across these settings, her approach remains the same: a commitment to expressive depth, refined sound, and a strong narrative instinct that draws audiences into the world of each piece.
As co-founder of CreArtBox, she has spent over a decade shaping a model of concert presentation where classical music meets visual art, theater, and immersive staging — earning recognition from *The New Yorker* and support from the New York State Council on the Arts. Since 2021, she has also co-directed Festival ADAR, transforming rural villages in Asturias into living spaces for site-specific artistic creation.
Her musical formation spans four countries and some of the most demanding traditions in European pianism, with mentors including Maria João Pires, Dmitri Bashkirov, Ferenc Rados, Claudio Martínez-Mehner and Josep Colom. Born in Palencia, she divides her artistic life between New York and Asturias.
Long Biography
Josefina Urraca is a Spanish pianist and co-director of CreArtBox and the Festival ADAR. Her playing has been praised by *Mundo Clásico* for its blend of “introspection and musical abandon” — a balance between precision and emotional risk that defines her work both on stage and behind it.
She has performed at the Salle Cortot in Paris, the Collège d’Espagne at the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, the Sony Auditorium in Madrid, Carnegie Hall in New York, and Monten Hall in Tokyo. Her work has also reached wider audiences through appearances on Spanish television and radio.
In 2013, alongside flutist Guillermo Laporta, she co-founded CreArtBox, a New York-based chamber music ensemble that fuses live performance with visual art, projection, and theatrical staging. Over the past decade, she has led its artistic direction — designing programs, commissioning new work, and building collaborations with composers and visual artists. The ensemble has been recognized by *The New Yorker* as one of its top picks for art and music, and by *Time Out New York* as “a group dedicated to multidisciplinary events.” Under her co-direction, CreArtBox has received sustained support from the New York State Council on the Arts, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, the Amphion Foundation, and the Alice M. Ditson Fund, among others.
Since 2021, together with Laporta, she has co-directed Festival ADAR, a traveling arts festival in rural Asturias that weaves classical concerts, commissioned works, artist talks, and site-specific installations into the landscape of small villages. The festival has become a model for how contemporary art can revitalize rural heritage.
Over fifteen years, her work has received support from institutions including the Government of Asturias, the Queens Council on the Arts, the Spanish Embassy, Caja Madrid, the Luis Galvé Foundation, the Albéniz Foundation, and Caja Rural. She has been recognized in competitions including the Savvy Musicians in Action International Competition, INJUVE, Montehermoso Contemporary Creation, the Ciudad de Carlet International Competition, and the Rotary Club awards.
Her training took shape across four cities and some of the most rigorous traditions in European pianism: the Salamanca Conservatory, the University of Alcalá de Henares, the École Normale de Musique “Alfred Cortot” in Paris, the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid, and the Manhattan School of Music in New York. She has studied with Dmitri Bashkirov, Maria João Pires, Ferenc Rados, Patrín García-Barredo, Josep Colom, Claudio Martínez-Mehner, Kennedy Moretti, Eldar Nebolsin, Marc Silverman, Márta Gulyás and Frank Wibaut.
Born into a family of professional musicians in Palencia, she divides her life between New York and Leiguarda, a small village in Asturias, where she lives with her husband Guillermo and their son Eliot.
FAQ
What is your process working in outside the box venues?
Each project begins with researching the venue and building a program that responds to its character. These settings allow us to break traditional boundaries, connect more closely with audiences, and create immersive, site-specific performances.
Why chamber music?
Chamber music is a deeply human form of expression where dialogue, listening, and shared intuition come together. It offers intimacy, trust, and artistic depth that continues to inspire me as both performer and collaborator.
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe teaching is a collaborative and personal process. I work with a limited number of students to provide individual attention, blending technical rigor with creative exploration and encouraging each student to develop their own artistic identity.
For engagements and collaborations: josefinaupd@gmail.com