Photo credit ©Annie Asuka Yano
José González Granero
Principal Clarinet
José Gonzalez Granero, clarinetist and composer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, recently was named the 1st Prize Winner for the Villiers Quartet New Works Composition Competition (London). He also has been nominated twice for the Hollywood Music in Media Awards. José has held the Principal Clarinet position in the San Francisco Opera Orchestra since 2010. He graduated from Granada Royal Conservatory, USC Thorton School of Music, and The Colburn School in Los Angeles under his mentor Yehuda Gilad.
José has won numerous competitions and awards, both as a clarinetist and composer, including Grand Prize for exceptional talent and musicianship in the Pasadena Instrumental Competition (2009), First Prize in the Burbank Philharmonic Concerto Competition (2009), Second Place in the Downey Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition (2009), Second Prize in the Pasadena Instrumental Competition (2008), and Second Prize in the ‘Ville de Comines-Warneton’ composition competition. His pieces have been published by Scomegna Edizioni Musicali (Italy) and Rivera Musica (Spain).
From 2005-07, José served as Principal Clarinet of the Andalucia Philharmonic Orchestra (Spain). He has also performed as Principal Clarinet with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra (Norway), Odense Symfoniorkester (Denmark), Young Musician Foundation Debut Orchestra (USA), Galicia Symphony Orchestra (Spain), City of Granada Orchestra (Spain), Orchestre des Jeunes de la Mediterranee (France), and the European Union Youth Wind Orchestra (Luxemburg), and as a substitute with the San Francisco Symphony. He has toured as a soloist with the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra, performing the Mozart Clarinet Concerto throughout Spain. In addition, he is an active chamber music player, and has performed with Susan Graham, Music@Menlo, Oregon Bach Festival, Music in the Vineyard, Music in May, and EnsembleSF.
Currently, José alternates his career as a clarinetist with the SFOO and as a composer, with recent and upcoming premieres of his works by EnsembleSF, Music in May, EOS Ensemble, Granada Brass Quintet, Proemium Metals, and the Stanford Philharmonia.
José plays with Yamaha, Vandoren and Ishimori products.