Maestro Igor Ernesto Corcuera Cáceres assumes position as Principal Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba

March 21, 2025

The Cuban Institute of Music announced this Thursday the appointment of Maestro Igor Ernesto Corcuera Cáceres as Principal Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra.

Corcuera completed his musical studies at the "Paulita Concepción" and "Amadeo Roldán" Conservatories in Havana, specializing in Trumpet, and in 2014, he graduated as a Bachelor of Music with a focus on Orchestral Conducting from the University of the Arts, under the mentorship of the renowned maestro Jorge López Marín.

In parallel, he worked as a trumpet professor, director of orchestras and bands, and department head at several institutions in Havana. He is also a professor in the Orchestral Conducting Department at the University of the Arts, ISA.

He stands out for his versatility conducting various ensembles, and his repertoire spans from classical music to contemporary and popular music, frequently being contacted by both national and foreign composers to premiere their works.

As a Guest Conductor, he has performed with most of Cuba's symphony orchestras, notably those of Villa Clara, Matanzas, Camagüey, and Oriente. He has also conducted the Symphonic Bands of Vanderbilt and Cornell Universities (USA) during their visits to Cuba, and the Sinfonietta Duchesne Cuzán. Between 2013 and 2014, he was Assistant Conductor of the Lyceum Mozartiano Orchestra in Havana, where he worked with maestros José Antonio Méndez Padrón, Walter Reiter, Ronald Zolmann, and Jorge Rotter. In 2022, he made his debut with the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, and in September 2024, he was appointed Associate Conductor of the same orchestra.

Since 2014, he has been Principal Conductor of the National Concert Band of Cuba. With this centuries-old institution, he has performed concerts, tours, galas, and performances at the highest level of the Cuban State and Government.

He also collaborates with institutions such as the National Lyric Theater, Spanish Ballet of Cuba, "Laura Alonso" Ballet, National Folkloric Ensemble, and others in concerts, galas, zarzuela productions, and dance shows such as "María la O," "Cecilia Valdés," "De España Vengo" (anthology of Spanish zarzuelas), and "Comunidad."

As a trumpeter, he has participated in several contemporary music projects such as "13 Facetas" and "Travesías," the latter as both trumpeter and orchestra director, performing concerts in Havana and various cities in Switzerland with a youth orchestra and choir, alongside the sextet of the same name. In 2015, he founded the Brass Quintet "Habana Brass," which belongs to the National Concert Music Center, where he also serves as Musical Director. In 2018, he joined the Jazz Band of the prestigious Tropicana Cabaret in Havana first as a trumpeter, and currently as Orchestra Director.

He has worked with distinguished international soloists and composers such as Víctor Pellegrini (Argentina), Claudio Jara (Chile), Simon Ho (Switzerland), Lorenz Hasler (Switzerland), Suzanne Rayden (Sweden), Davide Simoncini (Italy), Julie Desbordes (France – USA), Vadim Serebryani (USA), Stefan Johnsson (Sweden), Otto Sautter (Germany), Armin Bachmann (Switzerland), Igor Urruchi (Spain), William Weilgus (USA), José Sibaja (Costa Rica), Yturvides (Venezuela), Park Stickney (Switzerland); as well as notable Cuban personalities including María Eugenia Barrios, Bárbara Llanes, Johana Simón, José Loyola, Huberal Herrera, Liuba Ma. Hevia, Pancho Amat, and important institutions such as the European and World Brass Association.

He is a founding member of the international musical society "Giuseppe Verdi" and has worked on musical direction for documentaries such as "Crear para Creer," about the life and work of Chilean Orchestra Director Jorge Peña Hen, premiered in Paris and Santiago de Chile (2015), as well as for popular music and television shows.

Among the honors received, the Distinction for National Culture and the "Raúl Gómez García" Medal stand out, making him one of the youngest personalities to hold such important national recognitions.

In this way, Maestro Igor Corcuera joins the extraordinary family of conductors of the prestigious National Symphony Orchestra who have left their mark and teaching over decades, a legacy begun by Enrique González Mántici in 1959 and continued by Manuel Duchesne Cuzán, Leo Brouwer, Iván del Prado, and Enrique Pérez Mesa.

The official presentation ceremony of Maestro Igor Ernesto Corcuera Cáceres as Principal Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra will be held on Sunday, March 30, at 11:00 am in the Covarrubias Hall of the National Theater of Cuba.