The director, composer and teacher Josep Vila i Casañas was born in Sabadell, not far from Barcelona, in 1966. His artistic focus is on the a cappella repertoire and choral symphonic literature from all eras. He is currently chief conductor of the Cor de Cambra Lieder Càmera of Sabadell and works regularly with the Cor de Cambra Francesc Valls of Barcelona. He was chief conductor of the Orfeó Català (from 1998 to 2016), the Cor de Cambra of the Palau de la Música Catalana (from 2011 to 2016) and the Spanish Radio and Television Choir (from 2007 to 2010).
Recordings under his direction have been made for the labels Ficta, Columna Música, La Mà de Guido, Ars Harmonica, Solfa Recordings, Anacrusi, TVC Disc and RTVE. Josep Vila i Casañas has worked with numerous renowned ensembles such as the National Choir of Spain, the Swedish Radio Choir, the World Youth Choir, the Franz Liszt Academy Budapest, the National Youth Choir Simón Bolívar (Venezuela), the Spanish Radio and Television Orchestra and the Catalan Baroque Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Andorra, the Acadèmia 1750, the Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès and the Málaga Symphony Orchestra. His last guest appearance with the MDR Radio Choir was in November 2023 with Poulenc's "Figure humaine".
In his role as choirmaster, he has rehearsed for the most important conductors on the international scene, including Daniel Barenboim, Daniele Gatti, Simon Rattle, Gustavo Dudamel, Marc Minkowski, Jean-Christophe Spinosi, René Jacobs, Lorin Maazel, Helmuth Rilling, Frans Brüggen and others.
As a composer, he devotes himself primarily to accompanied vocal music. He is the author of an extensive catalog of works for children's and youth choirs, for mixed a cappella choir and for choir and orchestra. His most frequently performed works worldwide include Sanctus-Benedictus (1992) and Salve Regina (2001). Other recent works include Te Deum (2010) for mezzo-soprano, choir and orchestra, Missa Sanctus-Benedictus (2015) for two a cappella choirs and the oratorio Veni Creator Spiritus for four soloists, choir and orchestra, which premiered in 2016. Lau Haizerata ("To the Four Winds"), composed in 2018, is a work for choir and piano based on Basque folklore, and the Missa Sagrada Família (2019) earned him the Premi Clavé for the best choral composition of the year in Catalonia.
Josep Vila i Casañas has been a professor of choral conducting at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya since 2005. He also regularly gives workshops, seminars and master classes in various European and Latin American cities.