Conductor News

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.

Catch Darwin on Classic 107.3 FM

Kathy Lawton Brown of Classic 107.3 interviewed Music Director Darwin Aquino and Guest Conductor Leon Burke III. Part 2 of the interview has Maestro Aquino describing the program to be performed Sunday, July 16 at 7:30pm at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity in University City. All concerts are free to attend!

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Interview: STLPHIL premieres Jocelyn Hagen’s music

Interview: STLPHIL premieres Jocelyn Hagen’s music

Darwin Aquino, the Music Director of the The Saint Louis Philharmonic and Leanne Magnusen Latuda, Artistic & Executive Director of the Saint Louis Women’s Chorale, spoke with Kathy Lawton Brown about their joint concert on April 28 that features music of Benjamin Britten, Maurice Ravel, and two St. Louis premieres: “Seis Sones Sencillos” by Carlos Fariñas and Antonio María Romeu and “The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci” by Jocelyn Hagen…

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Darwin’s conducting debut with OTSL

Darwin’s conducting debut with OTSL

Last year, Opera Theatre of St. Louis started an experiment. The first fruits of that experiment can be seen March 16-18 at COCA’s Catherine B. Berges Theatre. The creative team also includes conductor Darwin Aquino and choreographer Kirven Douthit-Boyd…

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Article about opera premiere and Darwin’s musical life (In Spanish)

Article about opera premiere and Darwin’s musical life (In Spanish)

El estreno, en la Gran Opera de Miami, de «El Matrimonio Secreto» de Domenico Cimarosa, uno de los más prolíficos compositores del siglo dieciocho, que llegó a componer ochenta óperas y fue maestro del género «comedia bufa» o comedia cómica, muy popular durante aquella época por su acercamiento a temas populares, sus ágiles dúos y tríos, recitativos hablados y por su risueña trama, marca historia al ser una versión totalmente cantada en español.

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