Season 2024-25
Conductor
- Artistic & Music Director, St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra
- Guest Conductor, Opera Southwest (L. Boccherinni “Clementina”)
- Conductor, New Works Collective Opera Theater of St. Louis
- Conducting Debut, National Symphony Orchestra of Panama
- Guest Conductor, Interlochen Center for the Arts
- Conductor-in-Residence, Washington University
- Guest Conductor, World Chess Hall of Fame Music Series
Composer
- Commissioned Composer, Lux Nova Duo – “Dialogues V” Festival, Hamburg, Germany (“Vom Imaginatio Folkloricus 3.5 for Guitar, Piano Accordion & Chamber Ensemble)
- Guest Composer, San Francisco Civic Symphony (“Lunga Pandemia” for orchestra)
- Commissioned Composer, Arizona State University Clarinet Studio (“Responsabilidad” for Bass Clarinet)
- Commissioned Composer, Laurel Zucker & Christine Gangelhoff (“Dos Danzas” for Flutes)
- Guest Composer, Latin American Music Festival / Venezuela (“Responsabilidad” for Bass Clarinet)
- Guest Composer, Caribbean Composers Forum / Online (“Aee Mama Si Ee” for Solo Percussion)
About Darwin
Known for his charismatic energy and musical versatility as a conductor and composer, Darwin Aquino’s career has taken him to orchestra halls and opera theaters across Europe, United States and Latin America. His constant presence as a Dominican artist in multiples stages is seen as a bright light for diversity and inclusion in classical music…
Upcoming Schedule 2024/2025
2024
- World Premiere “Responsabilidad: A Paraphrased Merengue” for Bass Clarinet at Arizona State University / Commissioned Composer
April 21 - St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra / Artistic & Music Director
April 24-26 - Opera Theater of Saint Louis Festival Season / Cover Conductor
April 28 – June 29 - Interlochen Center for the Arts / Guest Conductor Interlochen Philharmonic Orchestra
June 29 – July 14 - National Symphony Orchestra of Panama / Guest Conductor
July 16 – 26 - St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra / Artistic & Music Director
July 31 – August 2 - World Premiere “Dos Danzas” for 2 Flutes at the National Flute Convention, San Antonio, Texas / Commissioned Composer
August 1-4 - Opera Theater of Saint Louis New Works Collective / Conductor
Sept. 9-11 - (Re)Discovering Julia Perry / Chamber Project St. Louis
Sept. 26 – 28 - St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra / Artistic & Music Director
Oct. 2 – 4 - Washington University Symphony Orchestra / Conductor-in-Residence
Nov. 3 - World Premiere Festival “Dialogues”, Hamburg, Germany. New Work for Lux Nova Duo / Commissioned Composer
Nov. 4-9 - St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra / Artistic & Music Director
Nov. 13-15 - Opera Theater of Saint Louis New Works Collective / Conductor
November 18-21 - St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra / Artistic & Music Director
Dec. 4-6
2025
- Opera Theater of Saint Louis New Works Collective / Conductor
January 25 – Feb. 8 - St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra / Artistic & Music Director
Feb. 19-21 - Washington University Symphony Orchestra / Conductor-in-Residence
Feb. 23 - Opera Southwest / L. Boccherinni “Clementina”
March 17 – April 13 - Washington University Symphony Orchestra / Conductor-in-Residence
April 22 - St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra / Artistic & Music Director
April 22-25
Reviews
Gallery
Media
Darwin Aquino in the Latin American Music Festival in Caracas, Venezuela
Chamber music concert, Thursday, October 24
New 2024 Concert with the Interlochen Philharmonic Orchestra
Interlochen, Michigan, 44th Program of the 97th Season. INTERLOCHEN PHILHARMONIC – Darwin Aquino, conductor
Sunday, July 7, 2024 3:00pm, Corson Auditorium
Conducting Julia Perry’s music in (Re)Discovering
Symposium and performance highlight pioneering Black composer Sept. 27-28
Watch 3 Opera World Premieres for Free
Now available to stream digitally at no cost! Experience the future of opera with three all-new 20-minute works. Stream the recording of the New Works Collective performance. https://opera-stl.org/whats-on/new-works-collective-2024/
Darwin talks about Holst’s The Planets
Recent radio interview for Classic 107.3 Radio Arts Foundation
Joining the UIA Talent Agency for worldwide representation
UIA Talent Agency is an entertainment enterprise with a reputation of excellence in representing a diverse roster of artists. […] UIA is the home to a broad spectrum of talent including classical singers for opera and concert, actors for stage and screen, directors, composers, librettists, playwrights, and conductors…
Opera is for All
Inaugurated as part of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ 2023 season, the New Works Collective is the company’s groundbreaking effort to bring new voices into the world of opera, as well as to connect new audience members with the art form by exploring characters and stories that embody the full spectrum of modern life. A completely fresh approach to commissioning new operas, this first-of-its-kind program upends the form’s traditional model in favor of empowering composers and librettists who may feel that they do not have a place in opera and giving members of the community the chance to see themselves in the stories being performed. It’s an approach that New Works Collective conductor Darwin Aquino feels is vital for keeping opera resonant in today’s society.
Sound Moves: Where Music Meets Chess
Celebrate the closing of the WCHOF's exhibition, Sound Moves: Where Music Meets Chess, with a unique performance using a custom-made chessboard piano at Saint Louis University's Sinquefield State Room on January 18, 2024, accompanied by musicians from the St. Louis...