Agustí

Agustí Borgunyó Garriga

Sabadell , 2 May 1894
Barcelona , 1 July 1967

Composer and Performer

Composer

He studied at the Escola Municipal of Sabadell, and played in the local band. He also studied harmony and counterpoint in Barcelona with Manuel Burges.
In 1915 he moved to Washington, where he worked as a radio composer and orchestrator. In 1932 he set up residence in New York, working as an arranger and composer for radio stations, as well as forming a duet with Xavier Cugat. In the 1940s and 1950s he became artistic and musical director of the National Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra and between 1958 and 1963, he composed music for documentaries of the US Department of Agriculture. He composed symphonic and chamber music, songs, stage music and ballables for piano that show a clear influence from the North-American artistic environment. He also composed over 150 sardanes which he sent to Catalonia. Among his orchestral works, the symphonic overture L'aplec and the Suite for violin and orchestra are particularly relevant.