Ignacio

I am a Spanish saxophonist and composer. My career as a musician started in Spain, where I finished my intermediate musical studies with honours at Ponferrada's conservatoire at the age of 16, receiving the Extraordinary Prize in Castilla y León for the best result in my autonomous community ('comunidad autónoma'). In 2015, I received a scholarship to attend Chetham's School of Music (in Manchester), where I studied for two years, playing in numerous solo recitals and premiering and conducting my new works at different venues in Manchester and London, such as the Bridgewater Hall, Stoller Hall, Arts Club and Royal College of Music. In 2017, despite receiving offers and scholarships to continue my musical studies at the Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, I decided to read Music at the University of Cambridge (St John's College), where I am currently a third-year student. While studying at Cambridge, I won First Prize at the Cambridge University Musical Society Concerto Competition in 2018, and as far as my academic performance is concerned, I recently achieved a Donald Wort Prize and an Earle Prize for the highest overall result in the examinations of my second-year cohort. My compositions have been performed by a range of student groups and professional performers from different countries, including the Sigma Project Quartet, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, St John's Choir, Tabea Debus and Olwen Foulkes.

Tutoring Experience

I have mainly given saxophone lessons in the past. However, I am also happy to teach composition or any other area of academic music.

Tutoring Approach

I try to make my lessons participatory, trying not to impose my views and letting the student take the initiative in many cases. I believe that the main goal of teaching is not to indoctrinate, but to help the student develop an independent and efficient mindset in decision making.