José Carlos Domínguez Almela

Co-Principal

JOSÉ CARLOS DOMÍNGUEZ ALMELA clarinet
ERSO member from 2020

José Carlos Domínguez Almela began his musical studies in Cádiz at the Real Conservatorio Profesional de Música “Manuel de Falla”, where he studied with Francisco Hernández and Francisco José Cantó. He later continued his studies at the Conservatorio Superior de Música “Manuel Castillo” in Seville under the guidance of Camilo Irizo and David Calvo, while also receiving lessons from Antonio Salguero and Javier Trigos.

After completing his studies in Spain, José moved to Helsinki to attend the Sibelius Academy, where he earned a Master’s degree in clarinet performance. His teachers there included Olli Leppäniemi, Harri Mäki and Asko Heiskanen. Alongside his main studies, he also completed pedagogical studies with Okko Kivikataja.

Since 2020, José has been a member of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, where he serves as Co-Principal Clarinet and E-flat Clarinet.

Before moving to Estonia, he worked in Finland with the Oulu Symphony Orchestra as Co-Principal Clarinet and E-flat Clarinet, and with the Finnish National Opera as a tutti clarinetist and bass clarinetist. He has also performed with numerous orchestras across the Nordic countries and Europe, including the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, BBC Symphony Orchestra and Royal Seville Symphony Orchestra.

International competitions have also played an important role in José’s musical development. He has taken part in the Jacques Lancelot International Clarinet Competition, the Crusell Clarinet Competition, the Carl Nielsen International Competition and the Vienna International Music Competition, and has reached the semi-finals of both the Mercadante and Chieri competitions.

In addition to his principal teachers, José’s artistic development has been shaped by a number of distinguished clarinetists and mentors, including José Luis Estellés, Carlos Gil, Björn Nyman, Yehuda Gilad, Andreas Sundén and Christoffer Sundqvist.

Alongside his performing career, José has in recent years developed a growing interest in woodwind instrument maintenance and repair and is currently pursuing professional training in the field.