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The composer and saxophonist Irene Reig is one of the most outstanding representatives of the new generation of Catalan jazz musicians. Despite her youth, she has already enjoyed a long career and has released five albums as a leader. She currently leads three groups: Irene Reig Trio, Irene Reig Quintet and the octet The Bop Collective, which she combines with her teaching work.
Irene Reig began playing classical piano at the Escola de Músics in the Raval district of Barcelona. She completed her secondary studies at the IES Oriol Martorell and finally obtained the Professional Degree in Classical Piano at the Conservatori Municipal de Música de Barcelona, with Jordi Vilaprinyó as her main teacher.
In parallel to her classical music studies, she studied saxophone with different teachers such as Pablo Arias, Pau Casares and Joan Chamorro, and for four years she was a member of the Sant Andreu Jazz Band. She delved into the world of jazz and modern music and took a degree in saxophone performance at the ESMUC, where she graduated in 2015, studying with teachers such as Eladio Reinón, Gorka Benítez and Xavier Figuerola.
Later, she moved to Amsterdam to study for a master’s degree in the same speciality and was taught by Ferdinand Povel, Simon Rigter, Jasper Blom and Ben van Gelder. She also won a scholarship to study for half a year at Temple University (Philadelphia) with the prestigious saxophonist Dick Oatts. She graduated with a Master of Saxophone degree in 2017, the same year she released her first album as a leader, Views (DiscMedi/Moratón, 2017), in collaboration with trumpeter and flugelhornist John Swana. She later released four more albums and became part of the collective and record label The Changes.
She currently lives in Barcelona and teaches at the ESMUC and the Taller de Músics ESEM.
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