MEET THE MAESTRO! Artistic Director Candidate Finalist, Phoenix Delgado, joins TOCCATA on the conductor's stand for our E.P.I.C. concert series (February 13-22). We sat down with the Maestro to learn a little more about his musical journey, inspiration, and artistry:
1. What prompted your desire to pursue conducting?
Ever since I can remember I've never shied away from stepping into leadership roles, but I never really thought about conducting as a career until I was about to finish my bachelor’s degree (in flute performance).
My flute teacher thought that my brain would eventually crave the complexity of the full orchestral score. At the same time, my “Introduction to Conducting” professor was encouraging me to consider conducting as a career path. That, coupled with the frustrating experience of working with underwhelming conductors that lacked clear ideas of what they wanted, eventually led to me stepping onto the podium.
There is something incredibly exciting about working collaboratively with a large group of musicians and being a part of the process that assists in unlocking our full collective potential. It’s magical how an orchestra can sound one way under one conductor and completely different under another.
2. Favorite music genre/era?
Late classical all the way through the romantic period. I love the long beautiful, melodic lines that prioritize deep emotions over form and rules. Puccini is a great example—the way he doubles the melody in unison or octaves across so much of the orchestra, creating sweeping lines that fully envelop the listener. It probably all stems from my love of film music.
3. What excites you about the repertoire you'll conduct in our E.P.I.C. Concert Series?
I’m really looking forward to having the opportunity to work with both the symphony AND a chorus. It’s not every day that conductors get to work with both for every concert and it is giving me the opportunity to learn new repertoire like the Brahms Liebeslieder Walzer (Love Song Waltzes). Programming a concert is much like cooking: you must first take stock of what ingredients you have and work backwards.
I discovered these waltzes by accident since I needed to find pieces with similar instrumentation to the Dvorak Violin Concert in A minor that was already programmed. Not only are they beautiful but they also fit our “love” theme that runs throughout the program given the proximity of Valentine’s Day (and they allow me to put my choral and vocal experience to work). Faure’s Pavane is a beautiful piece that I was familiar with and the option to add chorus was serendipitous.
As for Jennifer Lucy Cook’s For You I Will Be An Island, I first heard it done by the LA Master Chorale and immediately knew I had to program it as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
The Mozart Overture to Don Giovanni not only serves as the perfect backdrop for our “love” theme but its virtuosic nature allows the orchestra to shine and, of course, working with Elizabeth Pitcairn for the Dvořák Violin Concerto is a tremendous honor. Our paths have crossed throughout our careers, and I could think of no better way to close the concert.
