Rafael Antonio Rodriguez
Orchestra Conductor
As a performer
Born in Mexico, raised in the United States, Rafael Antonio made his orchestral debut with the Romanian National Opera and Ballet Orchestra in Constanţa in 2013. He returned the following year to conduct this orchestra in a special Easter week concert featuring soloists and chorus from the Teatro National “Oleg Danovsky,” and had the pleasure of conducting the Pazardjik Philharmonic in Bulgaria during this same visit to Eastern Europe. Selected as a Conducting Fellow with the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica (2015), Rafael served as Assistant Conductor with the Boulder Philharmonic for two years during his doctoral residency.
Invited to attend the “Conductors Lab” in Aix-en-Provence (France), Rafael studied with an ensemble of ten musicians from the Berlin Philharmonic in master classes and conducting sessions. He participated in the “Black Sea Conducting Festival” in Constanţa.... more
As an educator
Rafael regularly collaborates with institutions that share his conviction that music can serve as a catalyst for social justice and as a transformational vehicle in the lives of music makers. He presents at conferences and for audiences throughout Latin America and makes regular visits to sites that are dedicated to democratizing musical learning through access such as the Sistema Nacional de Educación Musical in Costa Rica, and Orquestando in Peru.
Rafael served as the Artistic Director for the Orquesta Sinfónica Manuel María Gutiérrez, the Costa Rican national youth orchestra.... more
