Conductor Simone Menezes Leads The Colburn Orchestra For Her US Debut Next Month

The Italian-Brazilian conductor Simone Menezes will lead the Colburn Orchestra at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on January 28, 2023, in a performance which marks her US debut.

Additionally, Menezes will work with Salonen Conducting Fellows in the Colburn School's Negaunee Conducting Program, led by renowned composer and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Salonen Fellow Ross Jamie Collins, who conducted his first full-length symphony at the age of 17, will serve as assistant conductor for the week of rehearsals. The Negaunee Conducting Program, as described by the Colburn School, offers fellows the opportunity to "gain significant real-world experience with a world-class orchestra and serve as assistant conductors"; and, in keeping with the Colburn Conservatory model, students receive a full scholarship to cover tuition, room, and board.

Menezes will lead the orchestra through B.H. Crussell's Concertino for Bassoon, Guarnieri's rich Brazilian work Abertura Concertante, and conclude with Tchaikovsky's triumphant Fifth Symphony.

Featured in the program is Spanish bassoonist Elena Mateo Sáez, who is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Music degree at the Colburn Conservatory of Music. Sáez has been a prize winner in many international competitions including the Fernand Gillet-Hugo Fox International Competition.

Working with a blend of classical and contemporary repertoire, Menezes has previous experience collaborating with Youth Orchestras in Latin America, including the State Youth Orchestra of São Paulo, as well as with major orchestras internationally, such as Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Santa Cecilia Orchestra, National Symphonic Orchestra of Brazil, Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National des Pays de Loire, and more.

In line with Colburn School's commitment to access and excellence within its performing arts programming, Simone Menezes looks forward to sharing her interpretations of beloved works from the classical canon in her US debut performance, while sharing the resplendent work of Brazilian composer Camargo Guarnieri.

About Simone Menezes

Simone Menezes is a visionary conductor, known for her artistic excellence, innovative spirit, and her ability to brilliantly combine classical and contemporary repertoire.

Passionate about pursuing projects that inspire thought and conversation and that explore new creative possibilities, Simone's projects are always relevant, impactful, and idea-shaping: from those which address deforestation and climate change to those which invite us to experience music as a conduit to alter one's perspective.

Simone's upcoming US debut with Colburn follows the release of her recent film "Metanoia", available on Accentus Music, which celebrates life, art, and music. The term itself describes a change in the way of thinking about things. In the film, Simone explores the works of great composers and renaissance art with a range of artists, from conductor Antonio Pappano to the painter Michael Triegel. The film creates a space for these artists to speak on their own philosophy of metanoia and inspire an appreciation for the diverse perspectives within art.

"Metanoia" has also been released on CD, described as 'beguiling' and as being performed with 'devoted intimacy' (BBC Music Magazine).

Previously, Simone has conducted orchestras including the Munich Philharmonic, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, and Britten Sinfonia.

Simone is also the Founder, Artistic Director, and Conductor of K, a cosmopolitan orchestra which names diversity as a core value, with musicians from several different countries and 20 different passports between them.

Under Simone's visionary and creative leadership, K explores unusual classical and contemporary repertories and multi-disciplinary projects with the aim of building a deep human and artistic connection with its audiences.

Responding to the limited opportunities for women in classical music in her native Brazil, she formed her own orchestra, Camerata Latino Americana, at just 20 years old.

Simone will debut at the Los Angeles Philharmonic in August of 2023 with Beethoven Symphony 4 and Violin Concerto with Christian Tetzlaff.

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