Ricardo Jesús Gallén García was born in Linares, Spain in 1972. He started playing the guitar at the age of four and made his first public appearance with his father Manuel Gallen when he was only five. At the age of ten he entered the Conservatorio de Música de Linares where he received his first official music lessons with the founder (and by then director) of the Conservatorio, composer Tomas Villajos Soler. He continued his studies in the conservatoires of Jaén, Córdoba, Madrid o Granada, under the guidance of Victor Valls, Miguel Barbera, Demetrio Ballesteros and Carmelo Martínez. He studied Guitar and Ancient Music in the Universities of Salzburg (Mozarteum) and Munchen, with Maestros Fisk, Eglhuber, Spiri, Gilbert, Hubscher and Clerch, graduating in 1999 in Meisterklasse at Hochschule fur Musik in Munchen with Joaquín Clerch.

He attended Master classes of such personalities as Miguel Angel Girollet, José Tomás, Manuel Abella, Jose Luis Rodrigo, Flores Chaviano, Francisco Ortiz, Joaquín Clerch, Antoni Spiri, Jurgen Hubscher and Christoph Eglhuber.

He has performed all throughout Spain: Madrid, Barcelona, Santander, Oviedo, Córdoba, Sevilla, Granada, Murcia, etc as well as other countries like Italy, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Finland, Portugal, France, Bulgaria, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Cuba, Russia, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, USA, Croatia, Romania and Israel, as a soloist, playing in duo with Eliot Fisk or with an orchestra Vogtland Philharmonie Greiz-Reichenbach of Germany, Orquesta Sinfónica of Valencia, Orquesta Joven of Andalucia, Orquesta Sinfónica of Valles, Real Orquesta Sinfónica of Sevilla, Philarmonic Orchestra of Tampres (Finland), Royal French Community Orchestra (Belgium), European Symphonic Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica of Alicante, Orquesta Sinfonieta of Barcelona, Orquesta del Principado of Asturias, Junge Salzburger Philarmonie (Austria), National Radio Television Orchestra of Romania, Jerusalem Music Academy Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Matanzas (Cuba), Philarmonic Orchestra of Lublin (Poland), Philarmonic Orchestra of St Petersburg (Rusia), Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, as well as in international festivals and with conductors such as Sergiu Comissiona or Monica Hugett. He has recorded for radio and TV in Spain, Finland, Belgium, Romania, Germany, Cuba, Mexico, South Korea and Bulgaria.

Ricardo has premiered a number of works from several composers like the works for solo guitar and guitar and orchestra by Tomas Villejos. He has also studied composition with Joaquin Clerch and Villajos himself.

His teaching activity is also remarkable, giving Master classes in Spain, Austria, Germany, Poland, Israel, Chile, Portugal, Mexico, France, USA, Russia, Greece and Romania. He usually assists Joaquín Clerch and Eliot Fisk in their Master classes. He has recorded, together with Eliot Fisk et al, a charitable CD with music of Spanish composers.

Naxos label released four CDs of him performing works by Mauro Giuliani, Leo Brouwer, Toru Takemitsu, etc as well as the guitar and orchestra concerts by Maestro Joaquin Rodrigo, alongside with Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias conducted by Maximiano Valdes.

His first CD was in 2001 amongst the top 50 Naxos releases, obtaining an outstanding response by the music press. In August 2000 he was in the cover of Classical Guitar Magazine, interviewed by Cecilia Rodrigo, Maestro Rodrigo’s daughter. His bio is included in the fifth edition of the book The Classical Guitar – its evolution, players and personalities since 1800 by Maurice J. Summerfield, director of Ashley Mark Publishing Company.

He has been invited, as a member of the jury, to several international competitions such as those held at Coria, Volos, Krynica, Hallein, Velbert (Andres Segovia), Alcoy (Alhambra) or Miami (GFA). He currently teaches both Undergraduate and Postgraduate at Escuela de Artes Luthier (Barcelona) and assists the Chair of Eliot Fisk at Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.


He has won numerous prizes in international guitar competitions world-wide:

First prize 'ex aequo': III Concurso Internacional de Guitarra de Cantabria 1990.
First prize at I Gran Premio Internacional de Guitarra de España 1993. Honorific mention: Fin de Carrera in 1993.
Third prize at II Concurso Internacional de Guitarra Ciudad de Linares 1995.
First prize at XXXII Internationaler Instrumentalwettbewerb Markneukirchen 1997, Germany.
First prize and Special prize at II Concurso Internacional de Guitarra Paco Marín 1997.
Special Prize to the Best Tarrega Performance at XXXI Certamen Internacional Fco. Tárrega 1997.
First prize and Special Prize to the Best Enrique Igoa Performance at XIV Certamen Internacional de Guitarra Andrés Segovia 1998, Granada.
First Prize at IV Concurso Internacional de Guitarra Alhambra 1998.
Second prize and two Special prizes to Best Jukka Tiensuu performance at I International Leo Brouwer Guitar Competition 1998 , Finland.
Second prize , Special prize and Special Prize to Best Tarrega performance at XXXII Certamen Internacional Fco. Tárrega 1998.
Second prize at VI Concurso Internacional Printemps de la Guitare 1998 en Walcourt, Belgium.
First prize and Special prize at XXXIII Certamen Internacional Fco. Tárrega 1999.
Second prize 'ex aequo' at II Certamen Internacional Julián Arcas 2001.
First prize and 5 Special prizes (Best performance of a Cuban piece, Special prize Leo Brouwer, Premio de la Asociación de Músicos de la Unión Nacional de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba, Premio de la Empresa de Grabaciones y Ediciones Musicales, y Premio del Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión) at XI Concurso Internacional de Guitarra de La Habana, Cuba 2002.