Félix Carrasco - Córdova (born July 29, 1955) is a Mexican

Mexican people

Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....

-Austrian

Austrians

Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....

 conductor

Conducting

Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...

. He has performed successfully near a hundred different orchestras around the world and has gained international recognition for his extraordinary performances. His style in conducting has impressed for sensitivity and accurate interpretation of all-time composers. Some characteristics that critics have applauded are for sound, pitch and rapid response from the musicians.

Education

He studied Piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

, Oboe

Oboe

The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...

, and Conducting

Conducting

Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...

 in the National Conservatory of Music of Mexico until he received an opportunity to attend Vienna's famous Hochschule für Musik (University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna) which he later received a full scholarship by the Austrian government for his successful studies. He studied with Karl Österreicher (conducting), Thomas Christian David (composition), Harald Goertz (opera conducting), and Guenther Theuring (choral conducting). He finished his studies and graduated in 1982 with Honors.

Conducting career

Throughout his career, Felix Carrasco has been the Artistic Director of several Austrian and Mexican orchestras.

1982 - 1990

The First Austrian Women’s Chamber Orchestra (1982–1983), The Pro-Arte Orchestra in Vienna (1983–1985), The Querétaro Chamber Orchestra (1986–1988), and The Orchestra of the Manuel M. Ponce Cultural Society (1987). Additionally, he was Second Conductor of the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra from 1986 to 1990 under principal conductor Maestro Enrique Bátiz Campbell.

1991 - 2009

From 1991 to 2009 he was the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Monterrey UANL Symphony Orchestra. He transformed the Monterrey UANL Symphony Orchestra in one of the most prestigious orchestras in Mexico, considered by many guest artists to be worthy of international standards.

In 1997 he founded the Monterrey Chamber Orchestra.

Carrasco conducted more than forty concerts a year with the Monterrey UANL Symphony Orchestra, where he spent 19 years. He delighted and pleased his audiences with a vast repertoire of Baroque music

Baroque music

Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...

, Classical period (music)

Classical period (music)

The dates of the Classical Period in Western music are generally accepted as being between about 1750 and 1830. However, the term classical music is used colloquially to describe a variety of Western musical styles from the ninth century to the present, and especially from the sixteenth or...

, Romantic music

Romantic music

Romantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....

, and 20th-century classical music. His concerts included a vast repertoire of Chamber music

Chamber music

Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...

, Symphony

Symphony

A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...

 music, Opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

 and Oratorio

Oratorio

An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...

. The city of Monterrey

Monterrey

Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...

 and its thousands of audience members were honored with the many premieres of classical masterpieces he offered.

Carrasco shared the stage with important soloists and singers such as: Lucia Aliberti

Lucia Aliberti

Lucia Aliberti is a prominent Sicilian soprano opera singer. She is much appreciated for her performances of the bel canto roles of , Bellini, Gioacchino Rossini, Donizetti, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Vivaldi, Mercadante, etc.A dramatic soprano of vocal agility, Lucia Aliberti was awarded...

, Mario Hossen, Antal Szalai

Antal Szalai

Antal Zalai is a Hungarian concert violinist.Antal Zalai began his classical violin studies at the age of five. He graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in 2009 where he was a student of Kati Sebestyén...

, Jörg Demus

Jörg Demus

Jörg Demus is an Austrian pianist.At the age of six, Demus received his first piano lessons. Five years later, at the age of 11, he entered the Vienna Academy of Music, studying piano and conducting. He graduated in 1945, then 17 years old...

, Carlos Prieto (cellist), Eva Maria Zuk

Eva Maria Zuk

Eva Maria Zuk is a Mexican piano concertist, who was born in Poland, but raised in Venezuela and New York City. She began music studies with her mother at the age of 4.-Education:...

, Otto Sauter

Otto Sauter

Otto Sauter Otto Sauter Otto Sauter (b.19610is a German trumpet soloist, who specializes on the piccolo trumpet . -Biography:From 1988 until 1998 Sauter was principal trumpet in the Bremen State Philharmonic Orchestra...

, Joan Kwuon, Michael Werba, Carlos Bonell

Carlos Bonell

Carlos Bonell is an English guitarist of Spanish origin, famous for having given concerts in the most popular music as well as collaborating several times with British television stations and Film...

, Vadim Brodski

Vadim Brodski

Vadim Brodski is a Polish-Ukrainian violinist, longtime resident of Rome, Italy. A descendant of Adolf Brodsky, Vadim was born in Kiev, where he played as the soloist of Kiev Philharmonic at the age of 11...

, just to name a few.

He has been a passionate motivator, supporter and promoter of Mexican composers such as: Paulino Paredes, Silvino Jaramillo, Arturo Rodriguez, and Felipe Ledesma, amongst the few. In which he globally premiered many of their pieces.

In 2000 he formed The Pops season called "Conciertos en Mangas de Camisa", that played popular music (generally traditional pop) and show tunes as well as well-known classical works. Some of its music included: Movie themes, Eugenia Leon, The Symphonic Beatles with Vadim Brodski

Vadim Brodski

Vadim Brodski is a Polish-Ukrainian violinist, longtime resident of Rome, Italy. A descendant of Adolf Brodsky, Vadim was born in Kiev, where he played as the soloist of Kiev Philharmonic at the age of 11...

, Symphonic Rock Music, Symphonic Queen with Carlos Bonell

Carlos Bonell

Carlos Bonell is an English guitarist of Spanish origin, famous for having given concerts in the most popular music as well as collaborating several times with British television stations and Film...

, Glenn Miller

Glenn Miller

Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...

, Agustín Lara

Agustín Lara

Agustín Lara was a Mexican singer and songwriter.-Biography:Lara was born in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz. Later, the Lara family had to move again to Mexico City, establishing their house in the borough of Coyoacán. After Lara's mother died, Agustín and his siblings lived in a hospice run by their...

, Perez Prado

Perez Prado

Dámaso Pérez Prado was a Cuban bandleader, musician , and composer. He is often referred to as the 'King of the Mambo'.His orchestra was the most popular in mambo...

, Betsy Pecanins, Raúl di Blasio

Raúl di Blasio

Raúl di Blasio is an Argentine latin jazz and easy listening pianist.- Life :Born in Zapala, Argentina, Raúl Di Blasio showed a great interest in piano at the age of six. After his parents' recommendations that he should study music, he began to pursue piano as a career.Di Blasio practiced piano...

, Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán

Guest Conductor

Among the countries whose main orchestras he has guest conducted are:

Europe: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, and The Czech Republic.

Africa and Asia: China, Cyprus, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Taiwan.

Americas: Canada, Colombia, Cuba, the United States, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela.

Carrasco has also participated as a guest conductor for several international tours through Europe with the Hungarian National Philharmonic of Budapest

Budapest

Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...

, the Szeged Symphony Orchestra

Szeged Symphony Orchestra

The Szeged Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Szeged, Hungary.-History:The Szeged Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1969 by Viktor Vaszy, and is active both in the concert hall and for operatic performances in Szeged.-Principal conductors:*1975-83 Pál Tamás*1983-89 Géza Oberfrank*1989-91...

, both in Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Brasov, the Feminine Symphony of Austria, and the Chamber Orchestra of Tokyo.

For several years, Carrasco has been a permanent guest conductor to the Zurich Symphony Orchestra

Zurich Symphony Orchestra

Symphonisches Orchester Zürich is a symphony orchestra made of up 72 professional freelance musicians, based in Zurich, Switzerland. It was founded in 1981 by its current music director, Daniel Schweizer. S-O-Z performs approximately thirty-five concerts per year, with Tonhalle as its resident...

, the Polish Baltic Philharmonic, the Orquestra do Norte in Portugal, the Cairo Symphony Orchestra

Cairo Symphony Orchestra

The Cairo Symphony Orchestra, , is an orchestra based in Cairo, Egypt. It was founded in 1959 by its first music director and conductor, Franz Litschauer...

, and the Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México

Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México

The Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México is the Symphony Orchestra of the State of Mexico. It was founded in 1971 and is based in Toluca, Mexico State, Mexico; its home hall is Sala Felipe Villanueva.- History :...

.

Professor

As a professor, he has taught orchestral conducting in three of the most important Mexican Universities: The Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León

Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León

The Autonomous University of Nuevo León is a public university with seven campuses across the Northern state of Nuevo León, Mexico. Founded as University of Nuevo León on 25 September 1933, it is the oldest and largest university in the state in terms of student population and it is currently...

, The Autonomous University of Coahuila, and The National Autonomous University of Mexico

National Autonomous University of Mexico

The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México is a university in Mexico. UNAM was founded on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra as a liberal alternative to the Roman Catholic-sponsored Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) (National Autonomous...

.

Accomplishments and Awards

Transforming the Monterrey UANL Symphony Orchestra in one of the most prestigious orchestras in Mexico.

In 1995 The Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León

Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León

The Autonomous University of Nuevo León is a public university with seven campuses across the Northern state of Nuevo León, Mexico. Founded as University of Nuevo León on 25 September 1933, it is the oldest and largest university in the state in terms of student population and it is currently...

 honored Carrasco with the Highest Arts Prize for his accomplishments with the Monterrey UANL Symphony Orchestra.

In 1997 the State of Nuevo León

Nuevo León

Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...

 honored him with the Medal of Civic Achievement for his contribution to the cultural development of the State.

The Mexican government and the Austrian Embassy in Mexico awarded him with the Mozart's Gold Medal in 2002 Mozart Medal (Mexico)

Mozart Medal (Mexico)

The Mozart Medal is a music award in Mexico. It is administered by the local Austrian embassy and the Academia Medalla Mozart...

, which has been granted only to the most distinguished figures of classical music in Mexico.

He was the first Mexican to perform within the walls of The Forbidden City

Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum...

 in Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra

Beijing Symphony Orchestra

Beijing Symphony Orchestra , founded in 1977, is a classical orchestra in based in Beijing, China.One of its best-known performances was an unfolding of Chinese history and culture performed at Badaling in the Great Wall which was transmitted internationally via satellite.- External links :* *List...

in 2005. His program included Mexican and international pieces.

Recordings

From 2002, several albums were recorded with the Monterrey UANL Symphony Orchestra:

Compositores de Nuevo León (Nuevo León Composers)
This compilation shows the talent of northeast Mexican composers (born or naturalized in this region), whose work was recently discovered and encouraged by Carrasco.

Compositores de Nuevo León Tríptico (Nuevo León Composers trilogy)
The album contains 3 CD's. It as a compilation from the first Nuevo León Composers cd with more pieces from northeast Mexican composers.

Obras Maestras para Jóvenes (Classical masterpieces for children)
Felix Carrasco is aware of the importance of early approach of classical music to children. This is why this project was entirely thought for them. Beautiful stories such as Peter and the Wolf (Prokofiev), Carnival of the Animals (Saint-Saëns), and The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (Britten) are included in this CD.

Obras de piano y orquesta (Piano and orchestra pieces)
This romantic CD includes famous scores for piano and orchestra of the American composer George Gershwin and the Mexican talent Manuel M. Ponce.

Cañón Huasteca (Huasteca Canyon)
The first album with works of Paulino Paredes. Paulino Paredes (1913–1957).

Muñecos de Barro (Clay Puppets)
A second album with the works of Paulino Paredes, tuning to a more ballet style classical music. Paulino Paredes (1913–1957).

External links

• Felix Carrasco – Official Website