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José Luis Domínguez


BIO:

José Luis Domínguez  is one of the most prominent Chilean orchestral conductors, who began his career at the early age of 21. He was Resident Director of the Santiago Philharmonic Orchestra, Chile (Orquesta Filarmónica de Santiago, Chile) one of the most important and high-level orchestras in Latin America from 2003 until 2016. With this orchestra he regularly gives presentations during the international opera season, as well as ballet and symphonic programs. After developing this orchestra to outstanding standards, he moved to the USA due to family reasons and the fact that his engagements and in Europe and in South America required him to be in a more central location. Also, as his composition engagements grow he required more time to dedicate to the creative process, after simultaneously being music director of two orchestras for over thirteen years.

As Principal Conductor of the National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Chile, and now Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic Senior Advisor, he directs countless symphonic programs each year. Most recently, he performed with them in Berlin, Cologne, Bremen, Vienna, Prague and Bratislava, among others.

Highlights of his recent performance schedule included a concert with Renée Fleming in Chile, several concerts with the Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias and he is a regular guest conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia. In 2015, he conducted pianist, Sergio Tiempo in concerts with the Lima University Symphony Orchestra in Perú. Among his recent appearances in 2014 include an invitation by the Ministry of Culture and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia to conduct Mozart's Requiem in the memorial of Nobel Prize Laureate of Literature, Gabriel Garcia Márquez in a live televised broadcast from the Cathedral of Bogotá also which included the presence of dignitaries of Colombia, the President of Colombia and the highest cultural authorities of the region. Also in Bogotá, he gave conducting seminars to graduate conducting students and conducted two symphonic programs with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia, that included an acclaimed debut performance of Bruckner's Symphony No. 7 for the orchestra.

In 2014, he also conducted the operas Lakmé, Othello, La Bohème and The Magic Flute and performances of the opera Don Pasquale (Donizetti) in theOpéraThéâtreSaint-Étienne, France as well as symphonic programs with the Symphony Orchestra of Chile, Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, Santiago Philharmonic, Buenos Aires Philharmonic and ballet and opera engagements in the Teatro Colón de Buenos Aires.

In May 2014, José Luis returned to the Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires, Argentina in which he conducted highly successful performances with the Filarmónica de Buenos Aires. Also in Argentina, he conducted the Mendoza Symphony Orchestra of the Cuyo University. Recognized with special praise included his performances of Brahms Symphony No. 3 and Brahms Violin Concerto with soloist, Ai Nihira.

In the closure of the 2013 international season with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Santiago he achieved a very high level of musicianship, and critical acclaim. These concerts included two internationally acclaimed soloists: Andrés Diaz and Ray Chen, coupled with large Russian Symphonies. Other notable performances included the operas: The Barber of Seville and Il Travotore, and he was in charge of the production of Carmina Burana, by the prestigious Spanish company Fura Dels Baus, in a show that captivated thousands of spectators.

Highlights of José Luis’ 2010/2011/2012 concert schedule included a debut performance to critical acclaim in the Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires. He also received high praise for his performances of the operas Verdi, Rigoletto and Massenet, Thais at the Teatro Municipal in Santiago, Chile. His performance of the Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Santiago, Chile was regarded as the best interpretation of the symphony ever heard in Chile, awarded by the Circle of Critics. With the National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Chile he performed the ensemble’s debut in opera with Donizetti, Don Pasquale which was a major breakthrough for the system of youth orchestras in Chile and Latin America. He conducted the re-opening Gala of the Teatro Municipal which was closed for repairs due to the 2010 earthquake with opera stars, Verónica Villarroel, Luciana D’intino and Woo-Yun Kim. In May 2011 he conducted the opening of the opera season in this theatre, Puccini’s Tosca with an outstanding international cast that included Elisabete Matos, Alfred Kim and Sergei Leiferkus. In July, José Luis conducted Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov and in August, Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra. Also Symphonic performances of Le Nozze by Stravinski with the Choir of the Teatro Municipal, Prokofiev`s Romeo and Juliet, Mahler`s Song of the Earth and Fifth Symphony. With the Orquesta Sinfónica de Chile he conducted two programs including Brahms and Beethoven symphonies.

In 2011, José Luis also conducted concerts in Lima, Perú, in October, Bogotá, Colombia, in November, and in Chile with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional Juvenil giving the premiere of “Bitácora de un Sueño” of Sebastián Errázuriz, written specially for the ensemble due to the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Fundación de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Chile. Also with this orchestra he conducted, Mozart Requiem in Santiago, Mahler Symphony No. 5 in Santiago and Valparaíso, and in 2012 conducted several symphonic programmes at the Teatro del Lago in the summer music festival in Frutillar, Chile.

In 2009, besides conducting a busy opera and symphonic season, he made his debut as a composer, writing the full scale ballet, “The Legend of Joaquin Murieta”. It was premiered in the Teatro Municipal by the Orquesta Filarmónica de Santiago, Chile in their international ballet season in November 2009. As a result of its successful premiere, José Luis received numerous requests from orchestras in Chile and abroad to perform a Suite version of the ballet. In March 2011 the Symphony Orchestra of Chile performed the Suite as the opening concert of their season with José Luis guest conducting. Also in 2009, he conducted the operas Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (Shostakovich), La Traviata (Verdi) and The Pearl Fishers (Bizet).

During 2008, José Luis released a CD with six contemporary compositions especially commissioned for the occasion to six Chilean composers. He also gave the World Premiere performance of Sebastián Errázuriz, Opera “Viento Blanco”. In Germany, he conducted the Staatsoperorchester de Braunschweig in their New Year’s Symphonic Programs. Opera performances in 2008 included titles such as, La Boheme, Suor Angelica, Bartok Bluebeard’s Castle, Mozart Le Nozze di Figaro, among others.

As well as being known for his grand versatility, including opera, ballet and symphonic programs, he has worked on soundtracks for film and coaching actors. He has given numerous talks and seminars on Leadership Strategies to young music professionals, businessmen, lawyers and politicians. In 2014, his Requiem oratorio dedicated to Fernando Rosas, creator and founder of the Foundation for Youth Orchestras of Chile, was premiered with the National Youth Orchestra of Chile. Due to its success, the Requiem was also premiered in the main season of the Santiago Philharmonic Orchestra. Upcoming commissions include a new ballet to be premiered in the 2017 season, an oboe concerto, a violin concerto and a cello concerto.

Future engagements include the operas Madame Butterfly (Puccini), The Rake's Progress (Stravinsky), I Due Foscari (Verdi), Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni), Pagliacci (Leoncavallo), La Boheme (Puccini) and the ballets Swan Lake, Rosalinda, Manon, Mayerling, Eugene Onegin and the Nutcracker, as well as symphonic concerts with the Symphony Orchestra of Chile, Symphony Orchestra of Colombia and Santiago Philharmonic, that includes acclaimed Argentinian soloist Daniel Binelli. He will also be directing the summer festival of symphonic concerts with the Santiago Philharmonic and the Summer International Music Festival in Frutillar, Chile. In June 2016, he released a NAXOS recording of his own composition, the critically acclaimed ballet, “The Legend of Joaquín Murieta”. He will also be releasing a NAXOS recording with the Symphony Orchestra of Chile, which whom he received the Circle of Critics Award in 2016 for his performances with them.

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PRESS:

“In the years that I have known José Luis Dominguez, he has always been a genuine, warm, encouraging and inspiring force among his colleagues and students. As a conductor he exudes that same energy: he is a dignified, authoritative and charismatic presence. Conducting from memory or with the score, he listens and communicates acutely, leading with refined and understated gestures, imposing his Will over the music, while always remaining lucid to the energies of the music and his musicians.”
-Wissam Boustany - Flute Soloist and Founder of Towards Humanity 

 

“One of the best conductors I've worked with in a long time...Absolutely amazing.”
-Andrés Díaz, World-Renowned Cello Soloist

 

“Maestro Jose Luís is a conductor who possesses a strong passion and commitment for music, perfect baton technique and in addition is an affable person to work with. He has the capacity to inspire musicians to reach the highest levels of musicality. His performances are always with insightful, exciting and receive praise from the press.”
-Maritza Parada, Executive Director, Fundación de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Chile (Foundation of Youth Orchestras of Chile)

-Mozart Magic Flute, Teatro Municipal de Santiago
“The Choir of the Municipal maintains it´s outstanding level, and José Luis Domínguez´s conducting in front of the Philharmonic was totally solid, many times solemn, with tempos that never put at risk the fluidity of the singing.
-
Las Últimas Noticias

 

- La Bohème de Puccini, Teatro Municipal de Santiago
“… The musical direction, in the hands of José Luis Domínguez, was very successful. With precise tempos, he knew how to combine the voices with the necessary dramatism of decisive passages.
-Las Últimas Noticias

Bartók  Bluebeard´s Castle and Puccini Suor Angelica
“José Luis Domínguez carried the Philharmonic Orchestra in the meanders of this music with total ease and knew how to emphasize the anguish and hand-wringing... his baton unveiled crescendo of musical complexity that Puccini plotted for his most beloved opera... he carried forward the score with emotional impulse, hinting, moreover, it´s  Debussyans winks. “
-El Mercurio

- Sergie Prokofiev Cinderella
José Luis Domínguez in front of the Philharmonic developed a remarkable framework
-Las Últimas Noticias

- Puccini Tosca
José Luis Domínguez in front of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Santiago, walked through the pages with push, privileging the dramatic power.
- La Tercera

-Brahms  Piano Concerto Nº 2,solista Svetlana Kotova
José Luis Domínguez took the baton in front of the Philharmonic, obtaining as a whole a sober, reflective musical reading , of wide dimensions.
-El Mercurio

- Cavalleria Rusticana e I Pagliaci

"… The overall strengthening also had as great agile actor and strong pulse that the baton of José Luis Dominguez levied on the Choir of the Teatro Municipal and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Santiago".-Las Últimas Noticias

 

- Symphony Nº 6, “Patética”, Tchaikovsky
“One listened to the Symphony Nº 6, "Pathetic", of Tchaikovsky, at such excellence levels that we do not hesitate to point out that it was one of the best live versions that we have heard and that put´s José Luis Domínguez in an indisputably consecrated situation.. “
-Las Últimas Noticias

"Dominguez unrivaled, magnificently and with exemplary gestures, the essence of the song of the swan…"
-El Mercurio

-Brahms Symphony No. 2, Orquesta Sinfónica de Chile
”Domínguez handled with entire expertise the games and contrasts between the winds soloists and the rest of the orchestra.”
-Las Últimas Noticias

MORE INFORMATION:

Biography

Press

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