My biography
Ricardo Mollá’s music has been performed by some of the world’s leading orchestras and most prestigious soloists. For instance, the Los Angeles Philharmonic premiered his piece Fanfare for a New Beginning under the direction of Tianyi Lu at the Hollywood Bowl. Meanwhile, the New York Philharmonic debuted both his compositions The Guiding Star and Snowfall over Lincoln Plaza at the Wu Tsai Theater in David Geffen Hall, located in Lincoln Center, New York.
His forthcoming projects include a Horn Concerto commissioned by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony for Marc Gruber, a Trombone Concerto commissioned by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra for principal trombonist Víctor Alegría, a Trumpet Concerto commissioned by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra for its principal trumpet, William Leathers, and an Oboe Concerto dedicated to Albrecht Mayer, Principal Oboe of the Berlin Philharmonic.
He studied composition at the Conservatorio Superior de Música Oscar Esplá in Alicante, Spain, and furthered his education at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover in Germany. Recognized for his talent, he was awarded scholarships from the Artists’ Society of Spain (AIE) and the JONDE-BBVA Foundation, which enabled him to study at the prestigious The Juilliard School in New York, where he completed his Master’s Degree in Classical Music. At Juilliard, aside from the traditional subjects of composition, orchestration, analysis, and counterpoint, he had the unique opportunity to study Musical Production with Greg Kalember and Musical Technology with Mari Kimura, enriching his expertise in both fields.
As a member of the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra in Switzerland, Ricardo had the opportunity to attend numerous exclusive masterclasses focused on contemporary and electronic music, guided by masters such as Pierre Boulez, Péter Eötvös, Philippe Manoury, Tristan Murail, Michael Jarrell, and Matthias Pintscher. Additionally, he was invited to participate in the ManiFeste-IRCAM Contemporary Music Festival in Paris, France, where he received mentorship from Heinz Holliger.
He has composed for a wide range of musical ensembles, including concertante works, chamber music, wind band, and symphony orchestra. Some of his concertos have been performed by musicians from some of the most renowned orchestras around the world, such as Esteban Batallán (Principal Trumpet of the Chicago Symphony), Miroslav Petkov (Principal Trumpet of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra), Chris Martin (Principal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic), Pacho Flores (International Trumpet Soloist), Hugo Valverde (horn member of the Metropolitan Opera), Jörgen van Rijen (Principal Trombone of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra), David Rejano (Principal Trombone of the Los Angeles Philharmonic), Joseph Alessi (Principal Trombone of the New York Philharmonic), Carol Jantsch (Principal Tuba of the Philadelphia Orchestra), and Riccardo Carvalhoso (Principal Tuba of the Munich Philharmonic), among others.
“He is one of the most complete musicians I’ve ever met […] I can say that his talent as a composer is not far from his talent as a trombone player”.
— J. David Rejano (Principal Trombone of the Münchner Philharmoniker).
“Ricardo Mollá Albero is a unique musical talent […] a composer with endless creativity”.
— Jonas Bylund (Trombone Professor at the Hochschule für Musik Theater und Medien Hannover)
“The piece is great! It is beautiful, diverse and challenging and I think it is a big contribution to the repertoire of our instrument”.
— Jörgen van Rijen (Principal Trombone of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra).
“Ricardo Mollá’s music captures a rare combination of technical brilliance and emotional depth. Performing his work is always a rewarding experience that pushes the boundaries of what music can express.”
— Esteban Batallán, Principal Trumpet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, on “Finisterrai”
Ricardo is on a mission to complete a concerto for each instrument in the brass family, showcasing his deep affinity for these powerful voices within the orchestra. Among his notable compositions is Singularity, a concerto for trumpet dedicated to Chris Martin, Principal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic; Finisterrai, a concerto for trumpet, trombone, and orchestra, was dedicated to and premiered by Esteban Batallán, Alberto Urretxo, and the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra (BOS); Amaia, a concerto for tuba and wind band, was dedicated to and premiered by Carol Jantsch, Principal Tuba of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the United States Army Band Pershing’s Own; his work The Unknown Soldier for euphonium and orchestra was dedicated to and premiered by Bastien Baumet with the Valencia Orchestra; additionally, the Concerto for Two Trombones and Orchestra was premiered by Jörgen van Rijen, Michel Becquet, and the Valencia Orchestra. Another significant piece is Awakening, also for two trombones and orchestra, dedicated to and performed by Ian Bousfield, Jeremy Wilson, and the Cairo Symphony Orchestra…
In the realm of pedagogy, Ricardo has been invited to conduct courses, masterclasses, and lectures across Europe, North America, South America, and Asia. His engagements have included prestigious institutions such as the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University of Singapore, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the Colburn School in Los Angeles, the Royal Conservatory of The Hague in the Netherlands, the Poznan Music Academy in Poland, New Mexico State University in the USA, the University of Antioquia in Colombia, the Escola Profissional de Música de Espinho in Portugal, and the Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espetáculo (ESMAE) in Porto, among others.
Finally, he is usually invited as a guest conductor in different windbands and orchestras all around the world. In this sense, he has conducted several soloists such as Miroslav Petkov (Principal Trumpet of Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra), Perry Hoogendijk (Principal Tuba of Royal Concergebouw Orchestra), Chris Martin (Principal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic), Constantin Hartwig (Principal Tuba of the Staatskapelle Dresden), Alberto Menéndez (Principal Horn of BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra), Felix Klieser (international horn soloist), Selina Ott (Trumpet Winner of the ARD Munich Competition), etc.
