Busto, Javier

Javier Busto (b.1949) was born in Hondarribia (Gipuzkoa – Basque Country). He has been a choir singer since childhood. In his youth he was a member of various rock and folk music groups. He graduated in Medicine from the Valladolid University, practicing his profession nowadays. He works as family doctor in Lezo (Gipuzkoa).

Busto was initiated into choral conducting by Maestro Erwin List. During his university period, he became conductor of Ederki Basque students’ choir in Valladolid (1971-1976), starting to write his first choral songs, which won third prize in the Tolosa (1975) competition.

Busto is Founder-Conductor of Eskifaia Choir in Hondarribia (1978-1994), winning first prizes in Ejea de los Caballeros, Tolosa, Avilés , Tours (France), Gorizia (Italy), Spittal an der Dräu (Austria), Mainhausen and Marktoberdorf (Germany). He is also Founder-Conductor of Kanta Cantemus Korua (1995), in Gipuzkoa, which has received first prizes in Tours, France 1997 – 2007 and Tolosa  1999.

His works have received composition prizes in Bilbao, Igualada, Madrid and Tolosa. His scores are being published in Basque Country (bustovega), France (A Coeur Joie), Great Britain (Oxford University Press), Germany (Carus Verlag and Ferrimontana), Sweden (Gehrmans Musikförlag) and the USA (Walton, Alliance Music Publishing, and Santa Barbara).

Javier Busto is nowadays in demand throughout the world as a guest conductor and as a member of the jury in choral and composition contests. He has been requested in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, the USA and Venezuela. He is also a member of the technical committee of the Tolosa choral contest.