Opposites Attract

Blessed with “poetic and sensitive pianism” (Washington Post) and a “wondrous sense of color” (San Francisco Classical Voice), Grammy-nominated pianist Joyce Yang captivates audiences with her virtuosity, lyricism, and interpretive sensitivity. 

She first came to international attention in 2005 when she won the silver medal at the 12th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. The youngest contestant at 19 years old, she took home two additional awards: Best Performance of Chamber Music (with the Takàcs Quartet), and Best Performance of a New Work. She received an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2010 and her first Grammy nomination in 2017 (Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance) for her recording of Franck, Kurtág, Previn & Schumann with violinist Augustin Hadelich.

In the last decade, Yang has blossomed into an “astonishing artist” (Neue Zürcher Zeitung), showcasing her colorful musical personality in solo recitals and collaborations with the world’s top orchestras and chamber musicians through more than 1,000 debuts and re-engagements. She has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and BBC Philharmonic, among many others. She has appeared in recital at New York’s Lincoln Center and Metropolitan Museum, Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center, Chicago’s Symphony Hall, and Zurich’s Tonhalle.

She graduated from Juilliard with special honor as the recipient of the school’s 2010 Arthur Rubinstein Prize. She is a Steinway artist.

www.pianistjoyceyang.com

Conductor and violinist Alejandro Gómez Guillén is passionate about sharing music in a way that is compelling, uplifting, and educational. Entering his second season as assistant conductor with the Omaha Symphony, he completed seven seasons as artistic director and conductor of Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, with which he led the world premiere of Mickey Tucker’s Spiritual Collage and the Indiana premiere of Florence Price’s Fourth Symphony. He also completed a successful tenure as associate conductor of Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, leading multiple community classics, pops, outdoor, bilingual and educational concerts, including collaborations with artists such as Time for Three and mezzo-soprano Cecilia Duarte. Additionally, he is also music director of Denver's Sphere Ensemble which explores the intersection of masterpieces of string ensemble music of the past and present with a multitude of genres and world music masters.. The group’s recordings are available through major music streaming platforms. Alejandro also served as acting concertmaster/principal second violin of West Texas Symphony and violinist of the Permian Basin and Chasqui Quartets, and he has also served as Freeman conducting fellow with Chicago Sinfonietta, associate conductor of Boulder Symphony and music director of Cantabile.

Recent activities include serving as cover conductor with the Orlando Philharmonic with Eric Jacobsen, for the symphonies of Indianapolis with Jun Märkl and Carlos Kalmar, Fort Worth with Robert Spano, Ruth Rheinhardt, and Andrew Grams, Dallas with Matthew Halls, planned performances with the Chicago Sinfonietta (cancelled due to the pandemic), and leading Tulsa’s Signature Symphony, Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá, Midland-Odessa Symphony & Chorale, SingFest Hong Kong, Bogotá’s Javeriana University, Bloomington Bach Cantata Project, and Midland Festival Ballet. He appeared as part of the Oregon Bach Festival conducting masterclass with public performances of Bach’s B minor Mass, St. John Passion, and the Christmas, Easter, and Ascension Oratorios. Additional activities include the Bloomington Early Music Festival, Weimarer Bachkantaten Akademie, Junges Stuttgarter Bach Ensemble, ¡Canta, Bogotá Canta!, Santander Choral Festival, Cabrillo Festival, Tonos del Sur at Berkeley Festival, Permian Basin Opera, a fellowship with SphinxConnect, and a residency in his native Colombia with Batuta.

Committed to sharing music in an educational way, Alejandro’s activities with the Omaha Symphony include artistic leadership of the orchestra’s prestigious and multifaceted community and education programs. Alejandro has served as assistant professor of music at Colorado Mesa University where he taught violin, viola, courses in symphonic literature, string pedagogy and chamber music, as well as conducting the chamber and symphony orchestras. He served as music director of the Colorado Youth Philharmonia and has led performances with Off Broadway School of Fine Arts in Boulder, Javeriana University Symphony Orchestra, Spokane Youth Symphony, University of Colorado Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, and Falcon Music Camps at the University of Texas Permian Basin.

An accomplished violinist, Alejandro enjoys leading Mozart and Haydn concertos from the violin in recent and upcoming seasons. He was concertmaster of Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra, Amherst Early Music Festival, and Junges Stuttgarter Bach Ensemble, with which he toured Germany and Italy including performances at Rheingau Music Festival and Berlin Philharmonie. He also returned to Oregon Bach Festival as a member of the Berwick Academy for Historical Performance.

Alejandro had a rich musical upbringing as a chorister and violinist in his native Colombia. Following a move to the United States he pursued a Bachelor of Music in violin performance from Texas Christian University and Master of Music degrees in conducting and violin performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He holds a DMA in orchestral conducting from the same institution, and his doctoral research includes a critical edition of Colombian composer Jorge Pinzón’s violin concerto, and a guide using selected dances from Bach’s orchestral suites in their original form for developing orchestras through a historically-informed approach to playing on modern instruments. His mentors include Gary Lewis, Helmuth Rilling, Matthew Halls, and Mei-Ann Chen.

When not playing, leading ensembles, or reveling in the music of Bach, Alejandro enjoys singing, trail running, and making music with his wife, violinist Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Cranor and their Duo Anthracite.

Conducting your Illinois Symphony Orchestra!

Opposites Attract

Conducted your Illinois Symphony Chamber Orchestra!

Sizzling Strings

alejandrogomezguillen.com/