Double bassist Ximo Clemente Riera has died

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The double bassist Joaquín (Ximo) Clemente Riera died on 18 August 2026, aged 44. Clemente was co-principal double bassist of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra.

Clemente studied at the Conservatorio Superior de Valencia under the tutelage of Javier Sapiña and Antonio García Araque. With scholarships from the Spanish Ministry of Culture and the Valencian Institute of Music, he continued his musical education at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under Thomas Martin. He also attended numerous advanced classes with teachers such as Janne Saksala, Giuseppe Ettore and Anthony Woodrow, among others.

Between 2003 and 2015, he served as co-principal and principal double bassist of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León. With the orchestra, he performed as a soloist and recorded Humoresque by Lorenzo Palomo for Naxos Records.

He performed with numerous Spanish and international orchestras, playing under the baton of conductors such as Carl Maria Giulini, Colin Davis, Symon Bychkov and Daniel Baremboim.

He regularly appeared as the guest principal double bass with Murtra Ensemble, Pynarello Ensemble and Kammart Ensemble, of which he was the founder. Additionally, he performed with the world music band Muyayos de Raïz, with which he recorded for EMI Records.

As an educator, he was a teacher at the Conservatorio Superior de Salamanca for ten years. He also taught in numerous summer courses and youth orchestras throughout Spain and collaborated with music-related social action projects at both a national and international level.

Clemente resided in Amsterdam since 2017, where he took up the role of co-principal double bass with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. He was a founding member of Amsterdam Music Collective and also a double bass teacher at Codarts, Rotterdam.

The Netherlands Chamber Orchestra paid tribute to Clemente on social media: ’Ximo was a warm and dedicated colleague, besides a passionate musician. With his involvement and love for music, Ximo has played a big role in the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. His passion and musicality was felt by everyone on stage and in the hall.’