Francesc Rius - Chronology

1945	Born December 16th, in Terrassa (Barcelona).
1956	Firsts examinations at Conservatori del Liceu, as "external student"; subjects: theory and piano.
1959	Finished High School. Entered the School of Technical Engineering in Terrassa, to study the speciality in Chemistry.
1963	Composed my first music works: for piano, chamber music, and specially, "sardanes" (this is catalan dance music written for a particular wind band of 11 instruments).
1964	Start conducting choirs. Conductor of "Coral del Centre Excursionista de Terrassa" till 1967, when I will leave for Tarragona.
1966	Title of "Pèrit Industrial Químic". Start working as a chemist in a factory producing and finishing textile fabrics. I reach my 5th year in piano, but have to quit due to lack of practicing time. My teachers so far have been, Miquel Margarit, Mrs. Serrat, and Josep Mª Martí.
1967	I moved to Tarragona to joint The Dow Chemical Co., a north-american company for which I worked the following 31 years, pursuing a technical career as a researcher in the speciality of industrial plastics. During all these years, the development of new products resulted in permanent contact with the market and customers all over Europe: this brought me to improve my fluency in languages, specially english, but also french, italian and a litle german.
1968	Conductor of "Coral Boixerica" in Tarragona, till 1975.
1969	After having attended a few studying terms in choir conducting, among them the ones in Lleida organized by “A Coeur Joie” and "Orfeó Lleidatà", with professors Lucien Jean-Baptiste, Cesar Geoffray, Erwin List, i Lluís Virgili, I get the title of « Choir Conductor ». Later on I have also attended classes in Choir Conducting by Leo Massó, Oriol Martorell, Manuel Cabero, Enric Ribó and Michel Corboz.
1971	I resume my piano studies at "Conservatori de Tarragona" with professor Carme Flexas, and take examination of 6th year. I again realize I have not enough practicing time and have to quit, this time definitely in 1973.
1972	I marry Nuri Francino, with whom I will have two daughters, Marta and Monica.
1975	Conductor of singing group "Camerata de Tarragona", till 1980.
1978	Summer course in orchestra conducting with Jacques Bodmer, at "Curs de Música de Vila-Seca". Attend again the same course the following year.
1980	The company for which I work relocates me in Switzerland, where I stay for two years. There my enthusiasm for early music gets more solid. I own my first harpsichord, in fact a "spinet", and start to practice as autodidact. Later on, I will go to a few summer courses in Daroca, having Jan Willen Jansen and Christine Whiffen as harpsichord teachers.
1986	First concerts with the baroque music group Concertare, made up of musicians from Tarragona and Reus, with the following instruments: violin, flute - traverso and recorder - , violoncello, and harpsichord. Conductor of a students' orchestra, linked to "Conservatori de Tarragona". Till 1988.
1987	Two years studying violoncello, which serve me to know the technicalities of the instrument (positions, bow distribution, etc.) on which I am interested, specially from the point of view of conducting. With my father, Josep Rius, cello professor.
1989	I study slide trombone at "Escola de la Banda de Música de Tarragona" during one year, also to better know brass instruments, from the point of view of conducting.
1995	Organ studies at "Conservatori de Tarragona", with Jordi Vergés. Till 1999. I had practiced organ before, specially at Daroca summer courses with José Luis González Uriol, and at Montblanc with Josep Maria Mas Bonet, and afterwards I have attended classes with Montserrat Torrent.
1998	I reach an agreement with my company employer, which is restructuring its workforce, and as a result, end my work relationship with it.
1999	I stop working as a chemist and start my hundred per cent dedication to music. I teach Music history and Counterpoint at "Escola de Música del Centre de Lectura de Reus". I start studies of baroque oboe with Xavier Blanch. I learn to play gralla and joint the group of gralla players at Colla Jove Xiquets de Tarragona.
2000	Official studies of harpsichord with Mireia Hernàndez at "Conservatori del Liceu". Start a university degree in Musicology, at the "Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona".
2003	I finish my university degree in Musicology (and get the "2003 special award" for this degree). Title of "professor superior" in harpsichord. I joint the "Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya" (ESMUC) to study orchestra conducting. My teacher is Jordi Mora. I start a doctorate in Musicology.
2004	Conductor of a chamber singing group, “Salou a capella”.
2007	I finished my studies in orchestra conducting. Creation of the performing group "Canyes del Gaià" consisting of gralles (shawms) and drums. I started studies in Composition and Instrumentation of music for cobla, at the Conservatorium of Music in Girona with Francesc Cassú, conductor of the "cobla La Principal de La Bisbal".
2008	I suffered a serious accident (head injury) which compels me to spend a sabbatical year: I have to patch and repair my body and my mind, and this is my job this year, and also trying to recover the control of my hands and fingers, in order to be able to play again the piano.
2009	I join the Choir Ciutat de Tarragona, this way I begin to do music again. I start to give classes at Escola de Música del Centre, in Reus, as a pianist playing accompaniment for students of string and wind instruments.
2010	I am very happy to see that I recover the ability to compose music that I had lost due to the accident. I write a sardana, which is premiered by the Cobla Sabadell. I resume my studies in Composition and Instrumentation of music for cobla, with Francesc Cassú. I am trying to obtain the recognition of my former studies of Doctorate due to the changes prompted by the new Bologna European curricula, so that I would be able to get recognition for the studied matters so far, and so would be able to directy start with the Research work.