Orquesta Sinfónica de Aguascalientes (Symphony Orchestra)

Founded: 1992 - Aguascalientes City, Aguascalientes State, Mexico

Since its foundation in 1992, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Aguascalientes (= OSA; English: Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra) has had a constant activity that has driven it to improve its interpretive quality, until it is currently among the best in the country. As guests, several of the most prestigious conductors have been leading the orchestra, not only from Mexico, but from different parts of the world. Likewise, soloists of recognized quality nationally and internationally, have shared the stage with the OSA.

1908-1991

The first antecedents of an important musical group in Aguascalientes dates back to 1908 with the creation of the first Orchestra of the Teatro Salón "Vista Alegre", which in 1914 would become the Orquesta del Teatro Morelos. But the first Aguascalientes Orchestra has its origin in 1922, by an initiative of the Secretary of Public Education José Vasconcelos and the support of the teacher Manuel M. Ponce. This Orchestra was conducted by the teacher Miguel Macías Femat and later by Apolonio Arias.

This first endeavor was not very successful and it would be until 1927 that maestro Alejandro Topete del Valle launched the initiative to reorganize the Aguascalientes Orchestra, he was joined by Professor Arnulfo Miramontes who would ultimately be the Orchestra Director and by combining this task with academy direction of piano and composition, he achieved very satisfactory results. On March 3, 1928, the orchestra began work, giving a concert every month at the Teatro Morelos.

In 1930 this orchestra disappeared, but that same year it was organized again under the coordination of maestro Miguel Macías Femat, who conducted it until 1945. At this time, in 1943, the State Government gave great impetus to the Banda del Estado, which was conducted by maestro Ricardo García and three years later, followed the same policy with the orchestra, under the direction of the same professor Ricardo García. In 1946 the orchestra became a member of the Music Workers' Union and under his leadership, in that same year, a great celebration was held for the day of Saint Cecilia, patron saint of musicians, and the orchestra performed accompanied by children's choirs.

With the purpose of bringing together in a single center all the institutional efforts of the different artistic activities, in 1947 the Academia de las Bellas Artes (Academy of Fine Arts) was created, a body to which this Aguascalientes orchestra became a member.

In 1950 it was announced again that the orchestra would have monthly concerts, plus the musicians' day special. And it was in 1951 when, due to the death of its director, maestro Ricardo García, the orchestra began to have sporadic presentations under the baton of guest conductors. Renato Leduc wrote about maestro García: “An old and excellent philharmonic and a human type of those who now only find one from time to time ... and precisely in the provinces: modest, totally disinterested and always working for his art with ardor that borders on mysticism ... ” The data of a new era in the history of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Aguascalientes appeared with the name of maestro José Ruiz Esparza Vega, who conducted it until his death in 1982 and at that time, it is supplied by the teacher Filiberto Ramos González, who is really recognized as the artistic director of the then Orquesta del Teatro de la Ciudad, from 1988 to 1991.

Since 1992

In 1992, maestro Alfredo Ibarra was appointed director, and in that same year, the orchestra gained a greater presence in society with the arrival of maestro Gordon Campbell, the year in which it was founded and recognized by the name of Orquesta Sinfónica de Aguascalientes (= OSA). In addition to the enthusiasm and professionalism of Maestro Gordon Campbell, the government gave him significant support and the Board of the OSA was also created, one of its main promoters being Dr. Alfonso Pérez Romo.

They began to promote the attendance of children to the concert rehearsals and to carry out dissemination activities to increase the number of public, such as educational concerts, tours to municipalities and Christmas concerts, in churches and shopping centers, obtaining with this, economic support that would guarantee the smooth running of the orchestra. At the end of 1998 it already had 84 members and in six years, the number of concerts was close to 300.

Gordon Campbell's tenure, Enrique Barrios was appointed Artistic Director of the OSA. He has had extensive experience in the field and in a short period of time further promoted the achievements of the orchestra, in all its fields: didactic concerts, operas, tours, etc.

It was from the year 2005 when the Maestro Román Revueltas appears within the history of the OSA, extending the musical activity beyond its three regular seasons per year. As a sample of his professional capacity, in the month of May of that same year, in the short span of four days, he mounted the zarzuela La Corte del Faraón; and immediately afterwards, another four days were enough for him to prepare the opera El Barbero de Sevilla, now, under the baton of Italian Maestro Steffano Mazzoleni, performing with great success.

The OSA has participated with its concerts at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Centro Nacional de las Artes, Festival of the City of Zacatecas, International Cervantino Festival, Festival del Centro Histórico of Mexico City, and Festival Internacional de Música "Miguel Bernal Jiménez" in Morelia City. In the framework of the Feria Internacional del Libro en Guadalajara, he presented the cantata Un Hidalgo en América under the baton of the composer himself, the famous Maestro Bakalof. In March 2006, he performed at the Teatro Aldama in the city of León, Gto.

To date, the OSA has recorded four discs, the most recent, containing works by Maestro Silvestre Revueltas, published by the Naxos label, reaching ninth place in sales in December 2002 in England, according to the BBC of London magazine.

Among its extraordinary activities in 2007, the OSA participated with the renowned tenor Plácido Domingo, in the opening concert of the Auditorio Metropolitano, in the city of Guadalajara, Jal. In addition, together with the Siberian Ballet, the OSA presented the work Spartacus by the composer Aram Khachaturian, on a tour of different states of the country.

Sources:
Aguascalientes Gobierno del Estado Website (May 2020), English translation by Aryeh Oron (May 2021)
Orquesta Sinfónica de Aguascalientes profile on Facebook
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (May 2021)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Iván López-Reynoso

Orchestra

[CV-1] (2020, Video): BWV 82

Links to other Sites

OSA-Historia (Aguascalientes Gobierno del Estado) [Spanish]
Orquesta Sinfónica de Aguascalientes Home on Facebook