Jospier Ricard

Jospier Ricard (born 1948, Dortmund) is a Brunanter-Barzuna accordionist and traditional Jitanès musician. He has also served as musical director of the National Theater in Koningstad.

Biography
Ricard was born to Barzuna parents in 1948, a few months after their wedding. He had a half-brother Juan, who was a war child; he was born to his mother and a German soldier stationed in Brunant during the war.

Ricard took up the accordion during his time with the Royal Guard in 1968-1970. He joined the army band, which he came to direct later, from 1978-1981. In 1973, he featured in an LP called Tango Barzuna, which was a compilation of tangos by various Barzuna artists. The success from this album prompted him to write his own music pieces and released ''Studio an Acordion Nr. 1'' in 1977. He made three more albums in the early 1980s. In 1984, he was hired to serve as the musical director of the National Theater in Koningstad. He was in that position, as the youngest director ever, until 1990, when he retired.

Joining some friends, they formed a music group called Eu Quarteto nal 40 (The 40s Quartet) in 1991. As a group, they would release three albums, the last one in 1999. They disbanded in 2000 when the lead singer moved to Germany.

In 2003 Ricard was hired again as musical director for the National Theater, who wanted his experience to lead their musicians. He quit in 2008 for personal reasons. In 2013 he plans to release an album titled 30 Anius na Jitanèses, an album featuring his greatest hits over 30 years.

Personal life
Ricard was married in 1975 to Tereza Alses. The couple had three children: Juliana, Jospier and Maria. His wife Tereza died in 2008 of liver problems at the age of 57.

Discography

 * 1) Tango Barzuna (1973)
 * 2) Studio an Acordion Nr. 1 (1977)
 * 3) Jitanès nal sigle XIX (1980)
 * 4) Studio an Acordion Nr. 2 (1982)
 * 5) Jitanèses Antigues (1983)
 * 6) Concerto na Navedà (1991)
 * 7) Eu Quarteto nal 40 (1994)
 * 8) Composas Noves (1997)
 * 9) Fema Misteriosa (1999)
 * 10) 30 Anius na Jitanèses (2013, upcoming)