GONZALO FARIAS has been named associate conductor of Florida’s Jacksonville Symphony. Farias will conduct community concerts, educational programs, film and pops concerts, and will assist Music Director Courtney Lewis and guest conductors in rehearsals. Previously, Farias was assistant conductor of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Among his activities while serving as music director of the Joliet Symphony Orchestra in Illinois, Farias connected with Hispanic residents of the area with pre-concert lectures, Latin-based repertoire, and a bilingual narration of Bizet’s Carmen. Farias participated in the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Conducting Fellowship for two seasons. Farias was born in Santiago de Chile, where he began piano studies at age five. He earned a bachelor’s degree at the P.C. University of Chile, and pursued graduate piano studies at the New England Conservatory as a full-scholarship student. He won first prize at the Claudio Arrau International Piano Competition and prizes at the Maria Canals and Luis Sigall piano competitions. As a conductor, Farias attended the University of Illinois working with Donald Schleicher, the Peabody Conservatory with Marin Alsop, and worked privately with Larry Rachleff and the late Otto-Werner Mueller.
Posted May 17, 2019
