Pascual Martínez Forteza, Acting Associate Principal Clarinet, The Honey M. Kurtz Family Chair, joined the New York Philharmonic in 2001, after holding tenure with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. At age 18 he was appointed assistant principal of the Baleares Symphony Orchestra in his native Spain, later becoming acting principal. He has recently performed as guest principal clarinet with the Berlin Philharmonic, under Simon Rattle.

Mr. Martínez Forteza appears regularly as a soloist, recitalist, and master class teacher at festivals and conservatories worldwide, including the International Clarinet Festival of Chanchung (China) and The Juilliard School, among others. Since 2003 Mr. Martínez Forteza and Spanish pianist Gema Nieto have played throughout Asia, Europe, and the United States as Duo Forteza-Nieto. Together they founded the Benifaio Music Festival in Spain. Mr. Martínez Forteza also founded Vent Cameristic, a wind ensemble of professional musicians from Spain. As a soloist with that ensemble, he has played every year at the Concerts d’Estiú in Valencia, Spain. In 2003 Spanish National Radio (RNE) produced a CD featuring selections from these performances.

Pascual Martínez Forteza started playing clarinet at age ten with his father, Pascual V. Martínez, principal clarinet of the Baleares Symphony Orchestra for 30 years and teacher at the Baleares Conservatory of Music in Spain. Mr. Martínez Forteza earned his master’s degree from the Baleares and Liceo de Barcelona Music Conservatories in Spain and pursued advanced studies with Yehuda Gilad at the University of Southern California, where he won first prize in the university’s 1998 Concerto Competition. He is currently a faculty member at New York University and teaches orchestral repertoire at Manhattan School of Music. A Buffet Crampon Artist and Vandoren Artist, he plays Green Line Tosca Buffet clarinets and uses Vandoren reeds and M30D mouthpieces.