About Darwin
Known for his charismatic energy, his strong artistic convictions, and musical versatility, Dominican American composer, conductor, and violinist Darwin Aquino is making an impact worldwide leading acclaimed performances of new works, symphonic music, opera, and ballet, with a particular focus on the Latin American repertoire.
He is currently in his fifth season as Artistic & Music Director of the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra, where he has worked extensively to amplify the recognition of the ensemble as one of the most noted performing arts organizations in the Midwest. Recent engagements include conducting debuts with Opera Southwest in New Mexico (Boccherini’s Clementina / U.S. premiere), the National Symphony Orchestra of Panama, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO), and the Interlochen Center for the Arts. Recently, Darwin was selected as the new Head of Music for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, where he has also served as Conductor for the New Works Collective since its inception in 2023, leading its first nine world premieres to great success and earning a reputation as a champion of new music.
Media
Article with the St. Louis Magazine about Gateway Festival Orchestra
Get to know the two conductors behind this year’s Gateway Festival Orchestra summer concert series. The Gateway Festival Orchestra, a ‘cultural treasure’ that has become a staple to St. Louis summers…
Premiere of Darwin’s work for Solo Percussion
David Fernandez, Percussions | Recorded at the Centro Social por la Musica, Caracas, Venezuela | April 2023
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…
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…
Lunga Pandemia for orchestra selected for 2023 premiere in San Francisco
Civic Symphony: Spring Concert / Sunday, March 26, 2023 – 3:00 PM 5:00 PM
Herbst Theatre 401 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA, 94102
Darwin makes conducting debut with the Florida Grand Opera
Darwin has been invited to conduct the first opera of the FGO’s 2022/23 season: “El Matrimonio Secreto” by Italian composer Domenico Cimarosa, in a new Spanish translation by Darwin Aquino and Benedetta Orsi. But, everything happens with a new and very special Latino...