Conductor

Antonio Delgado

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Antonio Delgado is a conductor of the world renowned "Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela" (National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras of Venezuela). “Full of vivacity and sparkle,” (Diario El Nacional. Caracas), he has conducted every major orchestra in Venezuela, and has worked in Ecuador and Puerto Rico. He has been invited to conduct in Italy, Cuba, Guatemala, and Panama. Delgado is in charge of the Musical Direction of the National Theatre "Teresa Carreño", where he conducts the major Venezuelan orches-tras in Symphonic concerts, Ballets, and Operas.

He began in the National System's (El Sistema’s) "Nucleo La Rinconada", where he studied violin and musical Theory. In 1990 he continued his studies in the "Simon Bolivar" Conservatory. In 1992 he was admitted to the Nacional the National Musical Studies University Institute (Instituto Universitario de Estudios Musicales), and joined the "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho" Symphony Orchestra. He began his formal studies in conducting with the Maestros Alfredo Rugeles and Rodolfo Saglimbeni.

Delgado has studied conducting with the maestros David Machado, Marcelo Panni, Rafael Jimenez and Collin Metters. Between 1994 and 2002 he assisted the conducting summer courses at the Canford School of Music in Wimborne, England, where he studied with Maestros George Hurst, Rodolfo Saglimbeni, Denise Ham, Robert Houlihan, Michael Rose, and Nicolae Moldoveanu.

In 1994 Delgado was invited to conduct the "Jose Maria Vargas" Symphony Orchestra at the First Festival of Regional Orchestras of Venezuela in a tribute to the Maestro Inocente Carreño, being the youngest conductor of the event. Later that year, he assumed the position of Principal Conductor of this orchestra until 1995.

In January 1996, he was designated Assistant Conductor of the "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho" Symphony Orchestra. In October of the same year he was designated Principal Conductor of the Monagas Symphony Orchestra (Monagas, Venezuela), where he also created and conducted the Monagas Children Orchestra.

In 1998, Delgado received the order "Jose Felix Ribas" in its 3rd Class from Venezueian Government. In 2000, he graduated from the National Musical Studies University Institute as a Conductor. His mission as a young conductor has been oriented to acknowledging young talents by presenting them as soloists in the different Orchestras that he has lead. Nevertheless, he has also shared the stage with well known national and international soloists like Carlos Duarte, Alirio Diaz and Luis Zea.

Besides symphonic concerts, Delgado is well distinguished in the ballet field, where he has conducted complete works like "Don Quixote" and "La Bayadere" by L. Minkus, "Romeo and Juliet" by S. Prokofiev, "The Nutcracker" and "Swan Lake" by P.I. Tchaikowsky, and recently in August 2008, "Giselle" by A. Adam—under the musical supervision of Alicia Alonso, world renowned ballerina and choreographer of this version.

Delgado has been further distinguished by conducting operas, including the International Premiere of the Venezuelan Opera "El Alma Llanera” in the cities of Ponce and San Juan, Puerto Rico; the three premieres in Venezuela of Joseph Haydn’s "Lo Speziale", Michael Nyman’s “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat", Mozart‘s "La Finta Semplice", and Verdi’s “La Traviata” in 2008 and 2009, as well as Operettas and Zarzuelas like Franz Lehar’s "The Merry Widow" and "La Leyenda del Beso" by Soutullo and Vert.

Since July 2010, Delgado has been Musical Director and Conductor of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra and of NBYO’s Sistema New Brunswick. In July, 2011, Maestro Delgado lead the NBYO in a first place win at the prestigious Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Competition in Vienna, Austria