Feel free to improve the article, but do not remove this notice before the discussion is closed. For more information, see the guide to deletion. Find sources:"Juan Gallastegui"–news·newspapers·books·scholar·JSTOR%5B%5BWikipedia%3AArticles+for+deletion%2FJuan+Gallastegui%5D%5DAFD
American-Spanish musician, composer and conductor (born 1979)
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Gallasteguiand the second or maternal family name is Roca.
Born in Spain, he has been based in the United States since the early 2010s and since then, he has conducted several orchestras throughout the US, especially in Washington, DC. He has served as conductor of the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra, chief conductor of the Accord Symphony Orchestra, and music director and chief conductor of the Rogue Valley Symphonic Band, among others.
He holds a PhD in musicology and is an expert on the work of Sergiu Celibidache. He also teaches music and conducting at various universities, including Southern Oregon University.
Early life and education
He was born on 27 November 1979 in the port city ofCastro Urdiales (Cantabria), in northern Spain. He is the youngest of seven siblings. He is the son of the musician Juan Antonio Gallastegui Ruiz, of Basque origin from Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country), who was a member of the Municipal Wind Orchestra of Castro Urdiales.[2][3]
He began his music studies in Castro Urdiales in 1989.[4] He was a member of the Municipal Wind Orchestra of Castro Urdiales as principal euphonium player between 1990 and 2012, a band which also included his father and uncle.[5] In 2003 he was co-founder of the Castro Urdiales Municipal Wind Orchestra Association.[6]
During his training at Bard College, he served as assistant conductor of the Bard College Conductors Institute Summer Orchestra and the Conservatory Orchestra, where he was mentored by American conductor Harold Farberman.[7]
In March 2015, he conducted the revival of Harold Farberman's opera Medea, the first performance of the work since its premiere in 1963.[9][10]
In 2017 he received his doctorate in musicology from the University of La Rioja with the thesis "Phenomenology of the music of Sergiu Celibidache and its influence on orchestral conducting in Spain" ("Fenomenología de la música de Sergiu Celibidache y su influencia en la dirección de orquesta en España", in Spanish), directed by Thomas Schmitt, a thesis about Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache, one of the most influential conductors in the conducting technique used in Spain.[11]
In 2016, Gallastegui joined the New York Wind Symphony Orchestra in New York City as the orchestra's principal euphonium, invited by Dutch conductor Johan de Meij.[7]
From 2016 to 2017, he was conductor of the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra, ensemble of the Loudon County, in Ashburn (Virginia).[13][14][15]
In September 2019, Gallastegui was guest conductor to lead the opening concert of the 5th season (2019-2020) of the Accord Symphony Orchestra (orchestra of DC Strings Workshop) in Washington, D.C. The concert was a notable success, and in October 2020 he was appointed chief conductor of the symphony orchestra of the U. S. capital.[16][17][18][19] As conductor of the Accord Symphony Orchestra, in 2021 he conducted, among others, the concert of the Spanish composer Jorge Tabarés with the work Dos danzas hispanas.[20]
In January 2019 Gallastegui became associate Music Director of the Rockville Concert Band of Rockville (Maryland), after being chosen by the band members and after a successful first concert as a guest conductor,[21] and in September 2020 he was officially appointed Music Director, becoming the 6th Music Director of the Rockville Concert Band.[21] As musical director, he directed and conducted various musical productions,[22][23][24] including the production "The Year 2020" in 2022, a piece about the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and to honor those affected by the coronavirus pandemic, composed by Dutch composer Johan de Meij.[25] The work was conducted by Gallastegui and had its premiere March 2022 at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre in Rockville (Maryland).[25] Gallastegui himself declared that "hearing music can also be like therapy. Music can help all of us keep going. Music comes to help people, to help with the healing process, with the reflection period".[25]
In 2023, he was appointed Music Director of the Rogue Valley Symphonic Band (RVSB) in Ashland (Oregon).[26][27][28][29] Since 2024, he has served as Executive Director of the Bremerton WestSound Symphony Orchestra in Bremerton (Washington).[30][31][32]
In addition to orchestra conducting, as a PhD, Gallastegui also teaches music and conducting at the university. He has served as adjunct instructor at Southern Oregon University, where he led advanced instruction in conducting, score study, and technique.
Gallastegui is a great fan of the US Space Program and NASA history[35] and as he himself declares, he "loves everything related to it".[36] Moreover, he reads everything he can get his hands on if it is written by an astronaut from the US space program.[36]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
