The vibrant clarinetist Oskar Espina Ruiz has established an international reputation as a highly expressive and virtuoso artist with a strong personal voice that can communicate across cultures and generations. Charles Neidich, with whom he studied in New York City for over ten years, calls Espina Ruiz “an unusually gifted musician who has already made a mark in the musical world and is becoming one of the most distinguished clarinetists in the US.” Espina Ruiz was discovered in Spain by visiting American conductor John Giordano who called him “a real talent!” Soon after Espina Ruiz’s arrival in New York City, Richard Stoltzman wrote: “Bravo! You are and have the kind of energy the music world needs.”

Over the last few seasons Oskar Espina Ruiz has dazzled audiences at some of the most prestigious stages worldwide, including concerto performances at the Philharmonic Hall in St. Petersburg, Russia, and recitals at Carnegie’s Weill Hall in New York, the Corcoran Museum in Washington DC, the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, Oji Hall in Tokyo, the Madrid Royal Superior Conservatory, the Beijing and Shanghai Conservatories and Radio Television Hong Kong.

He has appeared as soloist with the St. Petersburg State Academic Symphony, St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic, Orquesta Sinfónica de la Ciudad de Asunción and Bilbao Symphony.

The Russian press has described his concerto performance as “highly expressive, perfect in all the details and virtuosically executed.” The Japanese press has highlighted his “extremely advanced technique and passion.” The Costa Rican press has called him a “masterful soloist” and the Paraguayan press has written: “Through bewitching vibrancy and expressiveness Oskar Espina Ruiz brings forth the notes with an energy that reaches down to one's soul.”

He is in great demand as guest artist at numerous universities and conservatories in the US, China, South America and Spain and has taught at summer festivals in Spain since 1994.

In 2006, Espina Ruiz’s commitment to chamber music led him to founding the Treetops Chamber Music Society, in Stamford, CT, where he has collaborated with the Shanghai Quartet, Cellist David Geber and other international artists. He is also the founder of the J. C. Arriaga Chamber Music Competition. From 1995-2000 he was a member of the Ernach Trio, offering numerous chamber music concerts in Spain, and has performed in chamber music concerts throughout European capitals as a member of the European Mozart Academy.

He is deeply involved with the music of our time and has premiered works written for him by Chinese composers Ao, Hu and Chen, Spanish composers Bageneta and Villasol, and French composer Gaigne. Recently he toured with a program of works for clarinet solo written in the last decade. He has also composed several chamber music works, which were premiered in New York. In February 2008 he gave the world premier performance of D. Weymouth’s Clarinet Quintet, with the Chamber Music Society Two member Escher String Quartet, at the “Stony Brook Premiers!” contemporary music festival.

Espina Ruiz has become the leading expert in the field of Spanish-Basque classical music. His research and adaptations have brought important works into the clarinet repertoire, including Ravel’s Sonate Posthume, works by Arriaga and Falla, and his orchestration of the Menéndez Clarinet Concerto No. 2. His research has led to the rediscovery of late-Romantic Spanish composer Julián Menéndez, whose clarinet is now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He also performed the South American premiere of the original Copland Clarinet Concerto, reconstructed from the manuscripts at the Library of Congress.

He has recorded for the Kobaltone and Prion labels. His solo recordings include “Abriendo Fronteras”, “Basque Heart” and “Julián Menéndez Rediscovered”. This last recording was highly acclaimed by fellow clarinetists. Richard Stoltzman wrote: “You have opened a beautiful treasure chest of repertoire for the world of clarinetists.” "Menéndez's music fills an important niche, (…) Espina Ruiz plays with great feeling," wrote Charles Neidich. And Vicente Peñarrocha, Menéndez’s prominent student, wrote: “this recording is the result of the profound knowledge of Espina Ruiz.”

He won top prizes at the Olga Koussevitzky and Artists International competitions in New York in 1999; he was the Thayer Fellowship runner-up and top music finalist in 2003; and he won the first prize of the International Clarinet Association Research Competition in 2006. His academic writing includes an article in the March 2007 issue of “The Clarinet” magazine.

He holds a Doctor in Musical Arts diploma from Stony Brook University and a Master in Fine Arts diploma from Purchase College Conservatory of Music, where his major teachers were Charles Neidich and Ayako Oshima. He has also studied with flutist Aurèle Nicolet while at the European Mozart Academy.

Oskar Espina Ruiz at Treetops CMS

Pianist Noriko Nagasawa has performed extensively as a soloist after winning Artists International's Special Presentation Award. She gave a recital at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall during the 1998 season receiving highest critical acclaim. In 1999, she offered her second recital at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall, presented by Artists International as an Alumnus-Winner. Since 2001 she performs as a colaborator with Clarinetist Oskar Espina Ruiz in the United States, Europe and Asia. As a founding member of Ernach Trio, she has toured Spain every year since 1994 and, in 2000, she recorded a CD for Prion. Since 2000 her programs have opened up to the Spanish repertoire, both for solo piano as well as accompanying Clarinetist Oskar Espina Ruiz. A direct result of this work is the double CD Julián Menéndez Rediscovered and her first solo CD, Spanish Rhapsody, both of them released by Kobaltone in 2003 and 2004. Since 1995, she has been on the faculty of The Mannes College of Music Preparatory Division, teaching piano and technique of music.

Noriko Nagasawa at Treetops CMS

Soloists Oskar Espina Ruiz, clarinet, and Noriko Nagasawa, piano, first appeared as a duo in 1994 in New York. Since then, they have performed recitals at major cities in the United States, Spain and Japan, including annual concerts in New York and Tokyo. Highlights from recent seasons include recitals at the Royal Superior Conservatory in Madrid, Yotsuya Kumin Hall in Tokyo, Katherine the Great Palace in St Petersburg, Pushkin Museum in Moscow and Teatro Nacional in Costa Rica. In 2003, the duo recorded the complete works for clarinet and piano by Julián Menéndez, which had never been done before. After numerous concerts and lecture-recitals on the subject, Oskar Espina Ruiz has gained a reputation as the main Menéndez specialist.