Rafael Antonio Rodriguez

Rafael Antonio Rodriguez conducts the Clark College Orchestra. Regarded as one of the most important composers in Costa Rica’s history, Julio Fonseca was a leader in establishing a national musical identity throughout the first half of the 20th-century. Having studied in Milan and Brussels, his works span a broad range of genres and styles including a significant number of works for orchestra, piano, choir, and wind bands. Vancouver, Washington, March 2026.

Shannon Burr sings the beautiful aria from the opera "Vanessa" by Samuel Barber (libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti) with the University of Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Rafael Antonio Rodriguez, conductor

Rafael Antonio Rodriguez conducts the Clark College Orchestra in Vancouver, Washington. Come Sunday is a two-movement tribute to the Hammond organ’s central role in black worship services. The first movement, Testimony, follows the Hammond organ as it readies the congregation’s hearts, minds, and spirits to receive The Word via a magical union of Bach, blues, jazz, and R&B. The second movement, Shout!, is a virtuosic celebration - the frenzied and joyous climactic moments when The Spirit has taken over the service. (Omar Thomas) *orch. by Nicholas Urie Vancouver, Washington, December 2025.

Rafael Antonio Rodriguez conducting the Peruvian National Symphony Orchestra of Cusco in the "Capilla de Nuestra Señora de Loreto" on the main square in Cusco. 00:00 I. Molto allegro 08:56 II. Andante 21:39 III. Menuetto – Trio 25:44 IV. Allegro assai

Rafael Antonio Rodriguez conducts the Clark College Orchestra. From the program notes: Reinaldo Moya is the current Composer-in-Residence for the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra and has had his works premiered or performed by the Minnesota Orchestra (with Osmo Vänskä, Sarah Hicks, and Chia-Hsuan Lin), the San Diego Symphony (with Rafael Payare), the Juilliard Orchestra (with Carlos Miguel Prieto, and Jeffrey Milarsky),the New Jersey Symphony (with JoAnn Falletta), the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra (with Matthew Kraemer), the Lakes Area Music Festival Orchestra (with Gemma New), the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra (with Ben Rous), the Orquesta Sinfónica de San Juan, Argentina (with Emmanuel Siffert), the Orquesta de Cámara de Bellas Artes in México (with Ludwig Carrasco), and many others. Sweep was premiered in May 2022 at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, MN. The work begins with a short two-chord gesture that suggests a kind of “sweeping motion” and competes for attention with a “searching melody” introduced in the low strings. Energetic and rollicking, soaring and expressive, Sweep provides a great introduction for this young composer emerging on the national scene. Vancouver, Washington, December 2025.

Rafael Antonio Rodriguez conducts the Clark College Orchestra. Moncayo is regarded as one of the most important 20th-century nationalist composers in Mexico along with Carlos Chavez and Silvestre Revueltas, and was a contemporary of fellow students at the National Conservatory of Mexico such as Blas Galindo, Daniel Ayala, and Salvador Contreras. Moncayo’s famous “Huapango” is emblematic of the nationalist movement in music and has had a lasting legacy, being sometimes referred to as Mexico’s unofficial national anthem. As a genre, the huapango (or son huasteco) originated in the northeastern part of Mexico during the latter half of the 19th century drawing on the traditions of Spanish music and baroque dances and reflecting the complex heritage of African and indigenous populations in the region formally dominated by the Huastec people. Vancouver, Washington, March 2026.

Arranged for strings by R. Antonio Rodriguez. Dr. Rafael Antonio Rodriguez conducts the University of Memphis Chamber Orchestra. “Amor de Temporada” is a popular folkloric dance from Costa Rica known as a pasillo. This genre originated in Colombia and was passed into Central America through Panama, is typically a love song, and always in three. Listeners (and dancers!) will feel the crossed rhythms of three against two that originate in western Africa and permeate our common musical language throughout the Americas. The final couplet states: ...sonó luego el latido de dos corazones en un ardiente beso, mi amor te di. …then sounded the beating of two hearts in one burning kiss, my love to thee.

Dr. Rafael Antonio Rodriguez conducts the University of Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Originally written in 1820 for the stage work "Die Zauberharfe" ("The Magic Harp"), this overture was erroneously included in an 1855 publication of Schubert's incidental music for the play Rosamunde by Helmina von Chézy which premiered in Vienna's Theater an der Wien on 20 December 1823. The overture used for the 1823 production was from Schubert's grand opera "Alfonso und Estrella." There is no indication that Schubert ever intended this overture to be associated with Rosamunde. Yet, it is almost always referred to as the "Rosamunde Overture."