Agustí Cohí Grau started his musical studies at the age of 4 with his mother. In 1927 he moved with his family to Barcelona and studied the violin with Santiago Burgués. At 10 years of age he became a member of the Orfeó Català children’s choir, and was referred by Lluís Millet to the Escola Municipal de Música, to finish his studies with Eduard Toldrà and Joaquim Zamacois. At the age of 13 his was appointed the musical director of the Escola de la Sagrada Familia.
In 1936 (when he was 15) he wrote his first compositions. In 1939 he became choir master at San Salvador del Vendrell, and during this period he wrote approximately 50 religious works and 2 masses. In 1944 he became member of the Cobla Albert Martí, and became interested in the music for cobla. He has since written over 80 sardanes. He has also composed over 800 instrumental popular ballets, and the majority of Catalan dance groups (esbarts catalans) take advantage of his output.
For many years he was a music teacher in several schools, including the Institut Balmes and the Col·legi Sant Ignasi de Sarrià, and the Escoles del Metro. During 10 years he conducted the music festivals of various Spanish cities and which included 1400 singers and a symphonic orchestra.
In 1957 he became the conductor of the Orquestra Estela, a post which he maintained for 40 years, with the responsibility of preparing instrumentalists for their professional careers, and he premiered many works of young composers. He also collaborated with the Banda Municipal de Barcelona, which premiered one of his pieces each year.
Agustí Cohí i Grau (*El Vendrell, 1921)
Composer and conductor.
At present, he lives in Barcelona.
In 1965 he premiered his opera Nausica, in concert version, with texts by the poet Lluís Gasó i Carbonell. He also premiered the sarsueles, La polka roja (The red polka) and Timbaler del Bruc (The Bruc drummer).
He has conducted several choirs and he has a considerable number of compositions and arrangements, some of which have been performed by well known artists such as Josep Carreras, Carmen Bustamante, Lina Richarte, Antoni Lluch, among others.
He has been the president of the Associació Musical de Mestres Directors (Musical Association of Conductors) since it was founded. In 2004 he was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi (Sant Jordi Cross) by the Generalitat de Catalunya.
