Conductor Leo Pérez will lead his first concert at the helm of the UNSJ Youth Orchestra on Friday, October 16, at the National University of San Juan Rectorate Hall, marking a new stage for the academic ensemble.
Diario de Cuyo reported that Pérez, 28, took over leadership of the ensemble after the retirement of its mentor, Claudio Sánchez. A graduate of the San Juan School of Music as a teacher and licentiate in Music Education, Pérez discovered conducting through his university coursework and later completed a postgraduate scholarship in Madrid, training with the Orquesta Metropolitana de Madrid and earning a master’s degree in choral conducting at the Centro Superior Katarina Gurska.
According to the report, Pérez joined the project in August, coordinated student registration and began systematic rehearsals in September. The ensemble comprises about 30 advanced university students from orchestral instrument degree programs, joined by professors from the professional Symphony Orchestra who reinforce sections where students are temporarily lacking, such as bassoon and oboe.
Pérez told the publication he emphasizes comprehensive training and academic habits including punctuality, rigorous score study, technical silence during rehearsals and professional respect. He described attitude as a very important factor within a youth orchestra in its formative stage.
The ensemble, which debuted as a permanent body of the Faculty of Philosophy, Humanities and Arts in 2024, serves as a training ground for young musicians, with some already practicing in the professional Symphony Orchestra. The free concert features Rossini’s Barber of Seville overture and Schubert’s Symphony No. 5.
For more information, visit diariodecuyo.com.ar.