Iagoba Fanlo

He completed his training by obtaining the Konzert Exam Diplom from the Universität der Künste in Berlin under the tutelage of master Wolfgang Boettcher. Previously, he received the Diploma of Advanced Studies from the Royal Academy of Music in London, studying with David Strange. He graduated in his hometown, Donostia-San Sebastián, alongside his first teacher, E. Fanlo Altuna. Among his mentors are renowned artists such as E. Arizcuren, L. Harrell, H. Schiff, W. Boettcher, and P. Müller.

He regularly collaborates as a professor and director of the Festival junger Künstler in Bayreuth and has served as a cello tutor for the European Union Youth Orchestra (E.U.Y.O). Sony Classical features his most recent recording from 2021, performing Jorge Grundman’s cello concerto Act of Contrition op.76, which reached number 1 on platforms like iTunes and Amazon, and earned the prestigious Melómano de Oro award.

His recordings of music from the Generation of ’27 for cello and piano, as well as Johann Sebastian Bach’s Six Suites for Solo Cello, have received rave reviews from specialized media, being particularly recommended in newspapers such as El País, El Mundo, and ABC, as well as in CD Compact, Ritmo, The Strad, and Scherzo magazines.

In 1994, he was selected to perform Edward Elgar’s concerto under the baton of Yehudi Menuhin and made his debut with the Royal Academy Orchestra in London the same year. He has been a soloist with orchestras such as the London New Sinfonia, Northern Chamber Orchestra, Saint Petersburg’s Chamber Orchestra, and many others, interpreting concertos by composers such as Joseph Haydn, Antonín Dvo?ák, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and Jorge Grundman, among others, conducted by esteemed conductors like O. Vlcek, J. Bernàcer, and A. Ros-Marbá.

In 2009, at the request of the Casals Foundation, he premiered an unpublished work for cello and piano by Pau Casals. His dedication to Spanish music has led him to be the dedicatee of compositions by prestigious composers such as A. Aracil, B. Casablancas, and P. Halffter, as well as to revive scores by P. Casals, among others.

Active in the baroque cello scene, he has shared the stage with S. Standage, D. Schrader, and L. Dreyfus, and has recorded a compact disc with A. Martínez Molina featuring sonatas by D. Porretti and L. Boccherini. According to Anner Bijlsma, “In this recording, it is as if one could hear Boccherini himself playing…”

An accomplished chamber musician, he has performed recitals with ensembles such as the Casals Quartet, Gerhard Quartet, and Hanson String Quartet, among others.

He has served as principal cellist for the European Union Youth Orchestra (E.U.Y.O.), Spanish Radio Television Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra of Nagaokakyò (Japan), working with conductors like M. Giulini, M. Rostropovich, and Colin Davis, and recording for labels such as Philips Classics, E.M.I., and Virgin.

Iagoba Fanlo is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in London, a full member of the Real Sociedad Bascongada de los Amigos del País, holds a Doctorate in Arts and Humanities from the URJC, and is President of the Luigi Boccherini Association for Musical Research and Dissemination.

In addition to publications in indexed journals and other dissemination media such as The Strad, Scherzo, and Ritmo, Iagoba Fanlo has edited recovered scores, original for cello, by composers such as L. Boccherini, S. Bacarisse, and E. Casals, for publishers such as Boileau, Arpegio, and KlasiKart.

Iagoba Fanlo has served as an external evaluator for the European Association of Conservatories and head of the string department at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Madrid from 2014 to 2019.

As a professor at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Aragón, he conducts master classes at institutions such as the Royal Academy of Music in London, Liceu de Barcelona, and the Real Conservatorio Superior de Madrid, where he taught from 2001 to 2020.

His education has been supported by institutions such as the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Laura Ashley Foundation, Royal Academy of Music in London, Spanish Ministry of Culture, and the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council.

Iagoba Fanlo speaks French, Basque, English, Dutch, Italian, and German.