José Luis’ Virtual Book Club: Why Mahler?
British author Norman Lebrecht brings us up close to a personal exploration of the life and work of the iconic Austrian composer Gustav Mahler. I, personally, am fascinated with all the implications that surround his career as a conductor and composer. This book gives us a different angle, touching on [...]
Listening Club: Beethoven’s Ninth
José Luis initially planned to celebrate Beethoven’s birthday with performances of Symphony No. 9, “Choral” during the week of the composer’s birthday. He remembers fondly the last time we performed it together in 2018 at the closing of his inaugural season as Music Director. Since that scale of performance is [...]
Maestro Monday: Who are your favorite composers?
For this Maestro Monday, we asked your conductor, José Luis, who his favorite composers are… “A difficult question to answer, but since we are still on the 250th anniversary of his birth, I would say that Beethoven will always be one of those composers that keep me [...]
Watch José Luis’s Talk about Absolutely on Music
Did you miss the book club discussion? Maybe you didn’t start reading in time? No need to have FOMO (fear of missing out). You can still view the discussion right here! We hope all of you enjoy (or enjoyed!) reading and discussing Haruki Murakami’s Absolutely On Music. We will announce [...]
Your Conductor and Keitaro Harada Discuss Don Giovanni Friday
This Friday, June 12, at noon Tucson time, join your conductor José Luis Gomez as he talks with Keitaro Harada. Keitaro Harada is a frequent Tucson Symphony Orchestra guest conductor and former UArizona Wildcat. The two conductors are going to watch and discuss a performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni from [...]
What is the Right Pace to Perform Beethoven?
Beethoven’s tempos have been a topic of debate for many years. There is a chance that the Beethoven music we know and love should be performed differently. The markings from his scores suggest that he wanted his music performed with faster tempos than orchestras typically use today. There are many [...]
