Josep Portella Orfila
Born on the Spanish island of Menorca in 1998, Josep Portella was appointed Second Flute of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 2022 by maestro Jaap Van Zweden.
Prior to joining the orchestra, Portella collaborated with various orchestras in his native country, namely the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya, Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, and Orquestra Simfònica de les Illes Balears. Outside of Spain, he was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra Academy, both from 2019 to 2021.
At the age of six, under the tutelage of flautist Adelaida Ponsetí, Portella started his flute studies at the Conservatori Professional de Música i Dansa de Menorca. He then moved to Barcelona to pursue his degree in Classical and Contemporary Music Performance at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu with professor Júlia Gállego. During his studies, Portella was awarded the prestigious Ferrer-Salat Foundation Excellence Scholarship for two consecutive years (2019 and 2020). He also obtained his Master’s in Classical and Contemporary Music Performance at the Liceu Conservatory, from which he graduated in 2021.
In addition to his studies, Portella has participated in masterclasses with numerous renowned flautists, including Jacques Zoon, Emmanuel Pahud, Julien Beaudiment, Chiara Tonelli, José Miralles, Clara Andrada, Christian Farroni, Marten Root, and piccolo specialist Paco Varoch.
