Alejandro Pinzón
Conductor
Photo by Zachary Tumlin
Excellent concept, clear, in control...
[Dr. Leroy Osmon, composer, Pullitzer/Grammy Award nominee]
Clearly, you brought out the best in the musicians there... [Mr. Walter Weaver, audience member]
Alejandro Pinzón is one of the best conductors I have had the opportunity to play with...
[Jonah Gollihugh, Music Ministry major, Waynesburg University]
Thank you for the wonderful collaboration this evening. Your willingness to produce a wonderful program under very adverse conditions was greatly appreciated!
[Prof. William Skidmore, WVU professor of cello]
Alejandro Pinzón is a young and versatile Mexican musician. He is the Music Director of the Morgantown Community Orchestra and, since its creation in January 2010 he has served as instructor of the String Studio and conductor of the String Ensemble at Waynesburg University in Pennsylvania, USA. Maestro Pinzón is also Assistant Conductor of the WVU Symphony Orchestra, and the former Music Director of the Latin American Choir of Pittsburgh. He recently developed a highly acclaimed multimedia presentation and conducting workshop called The Art of Telling Others What to Do (For info click here).
Upcoming engagements include the premiere of this conducting workshop in Mérida (México), the revival of "The Sea of Seven Colors" (ballet by Leroy Osmon), and performances with the WVU Symphony Orchestra and the Morgantown Community Orchestra. Maestro Pinzón is also getting ready for summer projects in México and Argentina in 2012 (Visit my AGENDA).
His various guest conducting appearances include concerts in México and in the US. This past summer, he conducted 3 concerts to premiere his “Con Sabor a Danza” -with dance flavor- concert with the Orquesta de Cámara de la Ciudad de Mérida (for VIDEOS click here). Earlier in the year, as the guest conductor of the Washington Symphony Orchestra, maestro Alejandro Pinzón conducted the program “By Request” for an audience of almost 800, which set a new attendance record for the orchestra.
In June 2010, Mr. Pinzón conducted the second performance of his “Concierto Siglo XX” -20th Century Concert- this time with the Orquesta de Cámara de Xalapa in Veracruz, México. This project, created for the Camerata Académica de Mérida, was premiered with the latter in June 2008, with maestro Pinzón conducting.
As a member of the Conductors Guild, Alejandro Pinzón attended the Conductors Workshop 2009 with Buffalo Philharmonic: JoAnn Falletta and Jorge Mester, instructors. Mr. Pinzón began his conducting studies in 2004 with American composer and Pulitzer Prize nominee Dr. Leroy Osmon, and in July 2005, he studied with conductor Christoph Hagel (a student of Sergiu Celibidache and Leonard Bernstein) at his invitation in Berlin, Germany. For two years, Mr. Pinzón was a student of Dr. Lowell Graham, colonel and former conductor of the United States Air Force Band and present chairman of the University of Texas at El Paso’s music department. He also studied violin with Dr. Stephanie Meyers while at UTEP.
His music education and violin studies began at the State Center for Fine Arts of Mérida, Yucatán in 1995 with Prof. Juan Alberto Bermejo, and then continued in year 2000 at the New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida with Prof. Thomas Moore. He is presently a conducting student of Dr. Mitchell Arnold at West Virginia University.
Mr. Pinzón’s debut as a conductor was in October 2005 with "Concierto Ave María," a concert for chamber orchestra, soloists and choir he produced and organized himself. Maestro Pinzón made his USA conducting debut in March 2008 with Joseph Haydn’s opera "La Canterina" produced by the UTEP Music Theatre Company. On April 30th of the same year, he conducted his Graduate Conducting Recital with UTEP Strings and UTEP Symphony Orchestra. He made his debut in Pennsylvania and West Virginia conducting two concerts of Mexican and Latin American music in May 2009.
Alejandro Pinzón has been a member of the Yucatán Musicians' Association since 2004. As a violinist, he represented México in May 2004 during the 5th Festival of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Mercosur in Paraguay and Argentina. His participation on this event granted him a special recognition by the Mexican Ambassador to Paraguay. In September 2003 he was awarded the “State Prize for Youth Artistic Merit” by the Institute of Youth of Yucatán.
For over a decade, maestro Pinzón has been active as orchestra conductor, violinist, translator, music columnist, music teacher, creator of music ensembles, and organizer of didactic concerts for university students. His love for music making is shared by his passion for Tango dancing and his enjoyment of target archery.
Alejandro Pinzón was born in Mérida (Yucatán, México) where he completed his Bachelor Degree in Public Relations at the top of his class in 2006. In 2008, he became the first and only Yucatecan musician with a Masters Degree in Orchestra Conducting (University of Texas at El Paso). He is presently on the last year of course work of the Doctorate Degree in Orchestra Conducting at West Virginia University, in the United States of America.
