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Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
L.A. Opera names rising star Domingo Hindoyan as music director
When Domingo Hindoyan, the Venezuelan chief conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, made his debut with L.A. Opera last November with 'Roméo et Juliette,' Times classical music critic Mark Swed called it 'a coup for the company.' Swed also wondered if it was a 'signal that he is a candidate to succeed Music Director James Conlon, who steps down in 2026?' It turns out Swed was right. On Friday, L.A. Opera announced that Hindoyan has been named the company's Richard Seaver Music Director. He will succeed Conlon, the longtime music director who joined the company in 2006 and announced last year that he will step down at the end of the 2026 season. Conlon will take on the newly created role of conductor laureate. In a statement, Hindoyan said he was deeply honored to become only the third music director in the company's nearly 40-year history. 'From the first rehearsal, I felt a strong connection to the extraordinary musicians, staff, and spirit of this company,' he said. 'It is a privilege to follow Maestro James Conlon, whose legacy has shaped L.A. Opera into what it is today — a dynamic and ambitious institution.' After considering 'dozens' of candidates from around the world, L.A. Opera President and CEO Christopher Koelsch said he was 'struck by the fluidity of his technique and the clarity and command of his musical ideas' after seeing Hindoyan at the Berlin State Opera in 2016. 'His deeply collaborative nature and generous spirit in rehearsal make him a favorite among singers, who are inspired by the space he creates for musical risk-taking and expressive freedom.' Koelsch also praised Hindoyan's 'deep rapport with musicians and audiences alike.' Hindoyan, 45, is originally from Caracas, Venezuela, and began his career as a violinist. Like departing Los Angeles Philharmonic Music Director Gustavo Dudamel, he attended Venezuela's renowned public music education program known as El Sistema. In addition to his role as chief conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, a role he has held since 2021, Hindoyan has served as principal guest conductor for the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra; he has conducted opera productions at New York City's Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Berlin State Opera, Vienna State Opera, Paris Opera, Royal Swedish Opera, Dresden Semperoper, Madrid's Teatro Real and Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu. In a statement, Conlon said he was happy to pass the baton to someone who shares his passion for opera. 'Domingo is an artist of exceptional depth and imagination, and I know the company will welcome him warmly,' Conlon said. Hindoyan's five-year contract will begin July 1, 2026, and continue through the 2031 season. According to a Facebook post from Hindoyan, the new role in L.A. will run concurrently with his position with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Hindoyan, son of Venezuelan violinist Domingo Garcia, a former president of the Orquesta Sinfónica Venezuela, is married to the soprano Sonya Yoncheva, who's singing at the Metropolitan Opera in Tchaikovsky's 'The Queen of Spades.' (Performances are scheduled on Wednesday and Saturday.) The couple has two children and lives in Switzerland. In late April, the album 'Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence & Symphony No. 6 'Pathetique,'' from Hindoyan and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, was released.
Irish Post
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Post
Cormac Henry's return to Dublin with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic has ‘particular poignance'
FLAUTIST Cormac Henry is preparing to return to the venue where he gave his very first performance as a member of the national youth orchestra of Ireland. The Kerry native, who took up the flute aged seven, began has studies at the Kerry School of Music before moving on to study in Dublin and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In 2002 he joined the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra as principal flute and it is with them that he will perform at Dublin's National Concert Hall this Thursday, May 15. 'It's always a pleasure to be back performing in Ireland, but this visit has a particular poignance for me as we are performing Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances,' Henry said this week. 'This was the first piece of music I ever played as Principal Flute of the national youth orchestra of Ireland and knowing I will be back sitting in the same seat playing the same piece in the Concert Hall as I did 30 years ago feels very special.' Henry admits that the Irish capital has a 'special place' in his heart. 'Although from Kerry, Dublin has a special place in my heart, both of my parents were from Dublin and it was where I really started to believe I could be a musician,' he explained. 'My uncle was Lord Mayor for a year in the 80s and I have fond memories of riding bikes around the bedrooms (and down the stairs!) of the mansion house when my family used to visit.' The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra is the UK's oldest continuing professional symphony orchestra, the origins of which date back to the formation of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society by a group of Liverpool music lovers in 1840. See More: Cormac Henry, Dublin, Kerry, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
