Matanzas Symphony Orchestra Welcomes Maestro Juan Carlos Bastidas
The Matanzas Symphony Orchestra welcomes Maestro Juan Carlos Bastidas, who will take the podium on Saturday, July 6, at 3:00 p.m., in the iconic José White Concert Hall in the renowned City of Bridges.
Invited by the Cuban Institute of Music, Maestro Bastidas will present a varied and interesting repertoire: the overture to Gioachino Rossini’s opera The Barber of Seville, Capriccio Espagnol, Opus 34, by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and Symphony No. 8 in F major, Opus 93, by Ludwig van Beethoven.
Maestro Bastidas expressed his pleasure with the Matanzas Symphony Orchestra, stating, «They have received me very well, with great warmth, and the orchestra’s musical quality is excellent. The winds, the woodwinds, everyone is excellent.» He added that they have worked hard on the program they will present, «and they have loved it; it is a work of respect, very serious.» Among his goals is to record Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 in high definition to promote the orchestra.
His upcoming projects for this year and 2025 include the release of an album with two recordings under the title Breaking Barriers II, born from a series of three concerts by the Ontario Pops Orchestra featuring Afro-descendant soloists. Additionally, he plans to premiere works by Canadian composers in Canada and broadcast the Ontario Pops Orchestra live from Jeanne Lamon Hall at the Trinity St. Paul Centre in Toronto.
In 2014, Maestro Bastidas founded the Ontario Pops Orchestra in Toronto, Canada, which has grown at all artistic levels. Comprising 45 musicians, it is one of the only orchestras in the country made up of professional musicians from diverse ethnic backgrounds, including China, Japan, Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Jamaica, and Haiti.
Critics praise his performance, highlighting that «Bastidas is a leader both on and off the podium. He not only organizes and conducts multiple orchestras but also creatively drives symphonic performances with a vision for cultivating the next generation of classical music lovers.»
Born in Colombia, Maestro Bastidas studied bassoon, composition, conducting, and chamber music at the University of Ottawa. In 2008, he studied orchestral conducting at the Sherborne School of Music in England.
His work with the community, bringing music to diverse audiences and attracting new listeners to classical music, earned him recognition as one of the ten most influential Hispanic-Canadians in 2019. He also received the Arts Award in Canada from the Hispanic-Canadian Chamber of Commerce in 2022.
Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez
