BENET CASABLANCAS Widely regarded as one of the leading Spanish composers of his generation, Benet Casablancas (Sabadell, 1956) studied in Barcelona and Vienna. He graduated in Philosophy at the University of Barcelona, where he also earned a PhD in musicology. His music, firmly rooted in the great modernist tradition, is notable for its great individuality, structural complexity and extraordinary richness of textural detail. In the 1990s he became more concerned with harmony, timbral differentiation and instrumental virtuosity. Critics highlight his concern for balancing constructional rigour and expressive strength, lyricism, dramatic character and whimsical register. His works are performed regularly around Europe, Canada, US, Japan and Latin America by orchestras such as the London Philharmonic, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, the BBC Symphony or the NHK in Tokyo, and iconic venues such as the Miller Theater in New York, the Musikverein in Vienna and the Bremen Sendesaal have hosted concerts dedicated to his music. In 2013 he was appointed first composer in residence for the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra at L’Auditori and was awarded the most renowned composition prize in Spain, the Premio Nacional de Música granted by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. In 2019, his first opera L’enigma di Lea (libretto by Rafael Argullol) was successfully premiered at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, to high public and critical acclaim.