Les Baules are soprano Marta Casals, cellist Laia Domènech, and guitarist Ljubica Bukvić, all graduates of the ESMUC. The trio was founded with the intention of reinterpreting songs from the traditional repertoire – often of unknown origin – that have reached us through oral transmission.
These are songs meant to be sung and danced, forming part of a cultural legacy presented as a reflection of our character. Driven by the conviction that music arises from this fact, and rejecting artificially imposed boundaries between tradition and classical music, Les Baules seeks a meeting point between both practices and styles. Their approach lies in creating modern arrangements for their unique instrumentation: soprano, guitar, and cello.
We at «Les Baules» aspire to be part of the chain that connects us as a culture from a shared past to a common present. By uniting different styles, we aim to demonstrate that music, like all cultural expression, transcends borders and emanates from the endless blending of stories, knowledge, and people.
Born in Barcelona. She had her first contact with music at the age of 10. In 2007 she completed a Bachelor’s degree in Guitar at the Municipal Conservatory of Music of Barcelona, where she also began her singing career.
She continued her education at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC), obtaining a Master’s degree in Singing in 2013 with Honours under mezzo-soprano Mireia Pintó.
She took lessons with soprano Begoña Albertí and finally completed her vocal refinement with soprano Giovanna di Rocco and accompanist Josep Buforn. She has also taken Lied masterclasses with Juan-Martín Royo and Wolfram Rieger, as well as singing masterclasses with Cynthia Sanner, Montserrat Caballé, and Josep Bros.
In 2010 she won first prize at the 10th Girona Music Interpretation Awards. In 2013 she was a finalist and winner of the award for Best Performance of a Catalan Work at the VI International Lyric Singing Competition Hermanos Pla Ciutat de Balaguer. In 2014 she was a semi-finalist in the III International Canto Competition Ciudad de Elda. Her repertoire encompasses all styles of lyric singing, Lied, oratorio, zarzuela and opera.
She has performed in three zarzuelas with the company Ópera Còmica de Barcelona touring throughout Catalonia. In opera she has interpreted roles like Miss Jessel in The Turn Of The Screw by B. Britten, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) by W.A. Mozart, Belinda in Dido and Aeneas by Purcell and has performed at the Gran Teatre del Liceu with operas like Werther by J. Massenet, Manon Lescaut by G. Puccini and The Flying Dutchman by Wagner. She has participated in two contemporary operas, one of which premiered at the Aphonica Festival in Banyoles. And in the field of Lied she continues to work with La Fàbrica del Lied performing several concerts with Voice and Harp formations throughout Catalonia.
Born in Manlleu, she began her cello studies with Eulalia Subirà at the Escola de Música de Manlleu at the age of 7. From a young age she received masterclasses from cellists such as Mark Friedhoff, Iñaki Etxepare, Wolfgang Boettcher, Lluís Claret, Nabil Cabestany, Joan Antoni Pich and Maria de Macedo.
After obtaining her Bachelor’s degree at the Conservatori de Vic, she studied for a Master of Music in Performance at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC) with Damian Martínez. Musicians such as the Casals Quartet, Kennedy Moretti or Bruno Cocset complemented her training. In 2012 she was accepted at Folkwang Universität Essen (Germany) to study an ERASMUS program with cellist Christoph Richter. She subsequently studied for a Master’s degree at Hochschule der Künste Bremen (Germany) with Stephan Schrader.
She has played with various chamber formations and orchestras both in Germany and Catalonia, such as Ensemble Klangkunst, Berlin Filmorchester, Orquestra de Cambra de Vic, Orquesta de Cámara Terrassa 48, Orquestra de Cambra del Penedès or Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès.
Highly involved in pedagogical work, she has worked at music schools in Germany and Catalonia such as the Suzuki Music Institut of Barcelona, the Escola de Música Municipal de Sallent, the Escola de Música Municipal de Torelló, El Musical de Bellaterra, the Conservatori de Granollers, the Conservatori d’Igualada or the Conservatori de Vilanova i la Geltrú.
Ljubica Bukvić was born in Novi Sad, Republic of Serbia, where she began her musical studies at the age of nine. Under the guidance of Professor Zoran Dukić, she completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya in Barcelona. She subsequently refined her playing with Professors Paolo Pegoraro and Adriano Del Sal at the Segovia Guitar Academy in Pordenone, Italy.
During her musical training she had the opportunity to collaborate and receive refinement classes from renowned guitarists such as Hubert Käppel, Roberto Aussel, Carlo Marchione, Aniello Desiderio, Àlex Garrobé, Feliu Gasull, Atanas Ourkouzounov, Marco Tamayo and Costas Cotsiolis, among others.
She has won prestigious awards at numerous competitions in Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, including: Concurso Int de Guitarra Comarca el Condado, Spain; Festival de la Guitarra de Sevilla, Spain; Veria International Guitar Festival, Greece; Concurso Internacional de Guitarra Clásica de Braga, Portugal; Certamen Internacional de Guitarra de Barcelona Miquel Llobet; Concurso de Guitarra de Girona Josep Ferrer where she was the competition winner. In Serbia, she won the Laureate award on three occasions and in 2009 was awarded by the Foundation for Young Talents of the Republic of Serbia.
Besides her participation in various chamber music projects and ensembles, she regularly gives recitals in Spain and has been invited as a soloist at festivals and concert halls across Europe.
