Monday
February 17, 2020
7:30 pm
WPAC Concert Hall
2020 MIGF Festival Pass
is available to attend all festival events at a single reduced price:
Dynamic and motivated Venezuelan conductor Luis David Aguilar has built his artistic career in a variety of music-related fields. Currently, he is the Assistant Conductor to both The Miami Symphony Orchestra and the Florida International University Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director of the Florida International University Filarmonia Orchestra.
Musically born at El Sistema (Venezuela), his first conducting mentor was José Antonio Abreu. Then he extended these studies with Teresa Hernández and Dick van Gasteren. Lately, he continued his education at the Florida International University under the guidance of Director of Orchestral Studies Javier Mendoza, and also receives the mentorship of Eduardo Marturet, Music Director and Conductor of The Miami Symphony Orchestra.
At this moment, Aguilar has conducted prestigious groups like the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, the Miami Symphony Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra of the RNOCJIP (Panama), the Teresa Carreño Symphony Orchestra, the Simón Bolívar Choir, the Florida International University Symphony Orchestra, and the Teresa Carreño Ballet.
He is a former member of the world-renowned Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, where he was the principal viola from 2006 to 2011. During these years, he participated in international tours, concerts, and recordings with conductors and soloists like Claudio Abbado, Simon Rattle, Daniel Barenboim, Juan Diego Florez, Luciano Pavarotti, Bryn Terfel, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Yo-Yo Ma, and Gustavo Dudamel. His recordings as principal viola are: “The Rite of Spring” with Gustavo Dudamel (Deutsche Gramophon, 2010), and “Claudio Abbado – Easter 2010 at Lucerne Festival” with Claudio Abbado (Accentus Music, 2011). Also, he is a Latin Grammy winner for “Bidimensional” (Producciones Guaqueros, 2017), and a Latin Grammy nominee for “Fiesta” (Deutsche Gramophon, 2008). Moreover, he has performed side by side concerts with LA Phil and Goteborg Symphony.
As a chamber music player, he has performed with Jonathan Cohler (clarinet), Kalman Berkes (clarinet), Adalbert Skocic (cello), and Klaus Thunemann (bassoon), and attended chamber music courses with Rainer Schmidt, violinist of the Hagen String Quartet (2009), and the Latinamerican Quartet (2007).
His community engagement involves the support of organizations that enrich the lives of children and youths through music. Recently, he has been guest clinician and conductor to three ensembles from Sistema Ravinia (Ravinia Festival, Chicago), and conductor of the Young Mozarts String Orchestra, the Concert Chamber Ensemble, and the Symphony Quartet from the Greater Miami Youth Symphony (Miami). Also, other organizations where he has been guest clinician are Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA, Los Angeles), Big Noise (Sistema Scotland, Stirling), Superar (Sistema Austria, Vienna), and El Sistema (Venezuela).
Besides his musical achievements as a performer, he exhibited his managing skills as Director of String Sections from the Orchestral Academic Program of El Sistema (Venezuela) where he pioneered the writing of El Sistema Procedures Manual, charted the viola curriculum for the upcoming El Sistema University, and designed strategies to improve the growth of youth and children orchestras throughout the country.
