“I always have trusted and do trust Asier to be fantastic on the podium, and he is one of the most promising young Spanish Conductors today”

Robert Treviño

(Music Director Euskadiko Orkestra and Principal Guest Conductor Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale Della RAI)

Asier Puga

The Spanish, Berlin-based conductor Asier Puga, described by critics as one of the iconoclasts of Spanish contemporary music, has devoted much of his career as a conductor to creating a dialogue between the classical repertoire and contemporary music. His programs and performances are grand laboratories of ideas where tradition meets new multidisciplinary forms of expression, placing each work within the context of historical tension.

As the Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of Grupo Enigma, the chamber orchestra of the Zaragoza Auditorium and one of the most adventurous music collectives in Spain, Asier trained as a conductor at the Royal College of Music in London, graduating with the highest mark: Distinction. He previously studied with Arturo Tamayo, Manel Valdivieso, and Enrique García Asensio at Musikene, further enriching his expertise through masterclasses with maestros such as Pierre Boulez and Diego Masson, among others.

Professionally, his performances include concerts with both orchestras and ensembles, such as the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, Ensemble Itinéraire, Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi, Ensemble Ascolta, Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao, London Sinfonietta Academy and Explore Ensemble, Taller Sonoro, Covent Garden Chamber Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Burgos, RCM Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. 

Asier has performed at renowned festivals and venues such as the Festival d’Avignon, La Bâtie Festival Geneva, Auditorio de Zaragoza, Auditori de Barcelona, the Mérida International Classical Theater Festival, Teatros del Canal, Kings Place (London), Auditorio 400 Museo Reina Sofía, Kursaal Auditorium, Palau de la Música de Valencia, Espacio Turina, Quincena Musical de San Sebastián, Palacio Euskalduna, Fundación Juan March, Britten Theatre, Festival Carmelo Bernaola, Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, and the Guggenheim Museum, among others.

Equally invested in symphonic music, vocal and operatic repertoire, and new forms of contemporary expression, Asier Puga has collaborated with notable artists such as choreographer, dancer and artist La Ribot, with whom he co-directed the show Juana ficción (premiered at the 78th Festival d’Avignon), actor Juan Loriente, flamenco singer and multidisciplinary artist Niño de Elche, filmmaker María Ruido, and composer and sound artist Llorenç Barber, among others.

“From the first meeting I was struck with his tenacity, professionalism and innate musicianship.”

Peter Stark (Professor of conducting Royal College of Music, London. Rehearsal Director EUYO)

In 2014, Asier Puga debuted in opera conducting Armida by F. J. Haydn, followed by the world premiere of Michael Oliva’s Singularity in 2015. Since then, he has led diverse works such as Britten’s Albert Herring, Strauss’s Die Fledermaus, Xenakis’s Oresteïa, Bernstein’s West Side Story, Berio’s Laborintus II and Un posible día by Javier Torres Maldonado. His dedication to vocal and theatrical repertoire has resulted in collaborations with acclaimed singers like Carlos Mena, Astrid Nordstad, Maria Schellenberg, Alejandro del Cerro, Maciej Nerkowski, as well as renowned choral groups. He also studied accompanying with pianist Maciej Pikulski, further enriching his expertise in vocal music.

Parallel to his musical work, Asier has developed a growing interest in stage art and dramaturgy, directing and writing librettos for a variety of works, including the libretto for Xenakis’s Oresteïa, which inaugurated the International Classical Theater Festival of Mérida in 2023; the performance Juana ficción, co-directed with La Ribot (2024) and premiered at the Festival d’Avignon; and more recently, a new production with text and direction by Asier Puga and music by Carlos de Castellarnau, based on Pasolini’s unfinished last novel, Petrolio.

Asier has worked as assistant conductor with Robert Treviño and the Malmö Symphony Orchestra (Sweden) during the Beethoven Festival, which featured performances and recordings of all Beethoven symphonies.

Asier Puga has studied composition with Ramon Lazkano and Gabriel Erkoreka, attending masterclasses with Steve Reich, Felix Ibarrondo, Johannes Maria Staud, Elena Mendoza, and Jesús Torres.

Due to his profound interest in contemporary music, Asier has conducted nearly a hundred world premieres in Spain, England, France and Switzerland, collaborating with composers such as Chaya Czernowin, Núria Giménez-Comas, José Manuel López López, Nuria Núñez, Iñaki Estrada, Javier T. Maldonado, among many others.

Asier regularly writes about music and contemporary art for various publications and digital magazines, notably through a blog he has developed for the Auditori de Barcelona.