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March 19, 2024
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Felipe Tristán Is Revolutionizing Classical Music

Felipe Tristán is an orchestra conductor from Mexico living and working in New York City and is currently one of Mexico’s most sought-after conductors. He is known for his unmistakable conducting style, which has greatly distinguished him from his peers in the business. His skill set, referred to as one of a kind, has earned him the opportunity to perform in countries like China, Germany, Canada, Mexico, and Panama. He has also performed in cities across the United States such as Washington DC, Houston, Chicago, New Orleans, San Diego, Minneapolis. He has also performed in some of New York’s foremost stages such as Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, DiMenna Center, Symphony Space, and the Brooklyn Museum.

Worthy of note is how much recognition he has received thanks to his performance and artistry, some of which include the 1st Prize at the International Conductors Workshop & Competition in Atlanta, in 2018. Later, in 2019, he won the 1st Prize at the Klangkraft Dirigierwettbewerbs Conducting Competition. Felipe Tristán has occupied the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra (BSO) Associate Conductor role, where he previously served as Assistant Conductor from 2015 to 2018. He is the host and producer of the BSO Podcast, a program of interviews and music talks featuring the BSO musicians and guest artists. He also serves as Music Director of the Symphony Orchestra of the Americas, a semi-professional ensemble founded in collaboration with the Mexican Consulate in New York.

Felipe Tristán is an energetic music educator and administrator. He received his training in aesthetic education, arts, creativity, and imagination in the classroom as a Kenyan Fellow at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Subsequently, he taught at the El Sistema-inspired organization Corona Youth Music Project, now a robust music program in Queens, New York. He also works at the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, a six-time Grammy Award-winning orchestra and educational organization that has engaged over 2,200 NYC public school students in free after-school music programs. Most recently, he joined the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music, where he is the conductor of the Repertory Orchestra, in the Precollege division. 

Felipe Tristán has performed globally in countries like China, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Switzerland, and Panama. He lives in New York City. On what separates him from his competition, he said, “I am honored and lucky to be one of the very few Latino conductors from Mexico with an international career. It would be my honor to help build bridges for more opportunities in classical music for minority groups, including African Americans, Latino, and all people of color. Currently, there is a huge deficit of POC in classical music.”

Tristán said that being conscious of the impact that social media and digital media have on the performing arts is a great motivation for him. He said, “Our times are rapidly changing, and we need to adapt, benefit from the technology, and have a lot of potential and celebrate our art while doing it. All of this motivated me to continue to build my brand and proudly represent Mexican and Latino musicians in classical music around the world. I want that to be part of my legacy.”

In five years, he sees himself conducting orchestras and performing globally. He’d like to be a Music Director at a major artistic organization (whether an opera house or a symphony orchestra or both) and make guest appearances around the world. He wants to represent Latino musicians in classical music and help the underserved communities through education initiatives.

Tristán wants to reach new audiences with this article, especially the younger ones or people who don’t feel welcome in the opera house, concert hall, or any performing arts venue. This article is to make them realize that performing art is for everybody and everybody is always welcome in the concert hall.

To learn more about Tristán, visit his website.

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