石榴直播

KENNESAW, Ga. | Oct 12, 2021

Jes煤s Castro-Balbi, Director of Bailey School of Music, to join 石榴直播 music students on stage

Internationally renowned cellist will join the 石榴直播 Symphony Orchestra on stage on October 21 at 7:30 p.m. Named the Director of the Bailey School of Music on July 1, 2021, Castro-Balbi was first invited to perform at 石榴直播 in 2012 as a guest artist. This year, he worked closely with Dr. , conductor of the 石榴直播 Symphony Orchestra, and , Interim Dean of the College of the Arts, to take the stage once more. 

Long said, 鈥淎rts石榴直播 is proud to present in concert Dr. Jes煤s Castro-Balbi, our new outstanding Director of the Bailey School of Music. A graduate of both Yale University and the Juilliard School, Jes煤s is an internationally renowned musician. He鈥檚 also an inspiring leader, deeply committed to artistic excellence, scholarly achievement and, most of all, student success. Our music students simply couldn鈥檛 have a better role model.鈥� 

鈥淭his collaboration presents a great opportunity not only for our students鈥攂ut also for our colleagues and patrons in the arts community鈥攖o get to know Dr. Castro-Balbi as a performer,鈥� added Parker. The cellist will perform with the students in a program specifically tailored to engage with the community. 

Repertoire for the performance includes Brahms/Schmeling鈥�Two Hungarian Dances, Saint-Sa毛ns鈥�Cello Concerto No. 1, Dvorak鈥�Symphony No. 8, and a world premiere performance of Soledad by . 

With deep roots in Peru and known for his expertise in music by Latin American composers, Castro-Balbi helped arrange the first performance of Soledad by young Colombian-American composer Nico Guti茅rrez. Castro-Balbi is thrilled to bring Guti茅rrez鈥� work to 石榴直播, along with the Saint-Sa毛ns cello concerto. He said, 鈥淭he Saint-Sa毛ns Cello Concerto No. 1 is not only a staple of the repertoire, but it is also a piece that I learned as a child growing up in France.鈥� 

Castro-Balbi has performed all over the world, from New York鈥檚 Alice Tully Hall and over a dozen times at Carnegie Hall, to the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center and at Tokyo鈥檚 Suntory Hall. 

His repertoire stretches from Osvaldo Golijov鈥檚 Azul and Arlington Jones鈥� Soul Unity Suite to Lutoslawski鈥檚 Cello Concerto. To date, he has presented 53 premiere performances, the world premiere recording of 19 works, and is the dedicatee of 19 compositions. 

Dr. Castro-Balbi graduated from the Conservatoire National Sup茅rieur at Lyon, Indiana University Bloomington, and the Yale School of Music, and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Juilliard School.

--Kathie Beckett