Select a region
The Jersey Symphony Orchestra has appointed its next musical director, who will lead some of the island's best orchestral musicians for the next three years.
Natalia Luis-Bassa is a Professor of Conducting at the Royal College of Music and Principal Guest Conductor of the Oxford University Orchestra.
Already acquainted with the JSO, Ms Luis-Bassa previously conducted its summer concert last year and the Christmas concert in 2022 before that.
A "passionate advocate" for music education for young people and widening access to the creative arts, Ms Luis-Bassa has strong associations with multiple prestigious musical organisations, such as the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, among others.
Having begun her musical training in her native Venezuela, Natalia is also an Elgar Ambassador by the Elgar Society, named after the 19th-century English classical composer known for various famous compositions such as Land of Hope and Glory and The Dream of Gerontius.
Of her appointment, President of the Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Nick Cabot, MBE, said: “Natalia built a close relationship with the JSO from day one, and her strong credentials regarding working with both youth and adults, together with her passionate advocacy for placing orchestral music at the heart of a community, made her an easy choice as our musical director.
"We are looking forward to working with her both at our usual three yearly concerts but also opening up new directions for working with the musical education of young players on the Island.”
Natalia will next appear in Jersey at the orchestra's summer concert in August.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.