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Enrique Carreón-Robledo Conductor

Type:	Conductor
Genre:	Ballet, Opera, Orchestral

Manager:	Hans Spengler

General

Biography:

Mexican Conductor of international recognition who has worked for a diversity of Companies and Orchestras around the globe including the New York City Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre, the Stuttgart Ballet, Ballet du Capitole, the Ballet of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, the American Opera Theatre, the Hong Kong Grand Opera, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Kfar Blum International Chamber Music Festival in Israel, the Rossini Opera Festival, the Teatro Comunale in Florence, the Baden-Württemberg State Orchestra, the Düsseldorf Symphony, and the Orchestras of the Komische Oper Berlin, and the Rome Opera to name a few. In his native Mexico he has done extensive work in Symphonic Music conducting most major orchestras.

He opened the 2006/2007 season with the Ballet du Capitole’s new production of Don Quixote featuring the original Ludwik Minkus orchestration, Nanette Glushak’s staging and choreography, and the outstanding Orchestre National du Capitole. Both, the production and Mo. Carreón-Robledo’s music direction, were highly praised by audiences and critics alike.

Danse magazine’s publishing director Michel Odin wrote of his work on the December 2006 issue: …let us start by reviewing all that produced the success of this magnificent production. On board the prestigious Orchestre du Capitole, conducted by Enrique Carreón-Robledo. Magnificent conducting, without excesses, that put in place the value of Ludwik Minkus’ very beautiful harmonies and the beauty of the orchestral palette. Each instrument’s sound integrated with good taste, from the woodwinds to the harp. And I insist, no racketing, the brass and percussion without covering the rest, a true Minkus!

Classic Toulouse on 2 November and Voix du Midi on 9 November published the words of Robert Pénavayre: For the first time on the podium of our orchestra, Mexican conductor Enrique Carreón-Robledo accompanied with much precision, attention, and such radiance that this evening will remain for me the most successful of our corps de ballet.

Le Quotidien du Medecin on 6 November said: …and what a luxury to have in the pit the excellent Orchestre du Capitole conducted in expert fashion by Mexican conductor Enrique Carreón-Robledo.

Following his performances in France he returned to the United States to lead the Music for The Stamford Center of the Arts production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, pacing Tchaikovsky’s score for a cast including some of the greatest dancers of the American Continent today: Julie Kent and José Manuel Carreño from ABT, Ashley Bouder and Teresa Reichlen from The New York City Ballet, and Noelani Pantastico from the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Previously he became the first Mexican Conductor to perform with the New York City Ballet while taking part of the 50th anniversary season of The Nutcracker at the New York State Theatre of New York’s Lincoln Center.

In the 2003/2004 season he was a guest professor of opera at the Universidad de Sonora, one of Mexico’s top state Universities, and was in residence as head coach of vocal production and drama for the National Theatre of Mexico (Compañía Nacional de Teatro), undertaking as his first collaboration a new production of José Zorrilla’s Don Juan that marked the return of the company to the National Theatre (Palacio de Bellas Artes). He had his first collaboration with the National Finnish Ballet, as a guest for their Balanchine Centennial celebration, and conducted two concert series at the helm of the Jalisco Philharmonic where audiences and press alike praised his performances. The newspaper El Público described them as “moving” music making while the Maestro displayed “complete control” of the orchestra.

In the previous two seasons, he conducted Giselle on a West Coast Tour for the American Ballet Theatre. He went on to lead the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker in a new Youri Vàmos’ Production of Swan Lake for the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, and continued with his Stuttgart Ballet debut on a mixed program entitled American Masters, where he attained great success conducting Symphony in C (Bizet/Balanchine), Pierrot Lunaire (Schönberg/Tetley), and The Concert (Chopin/Robins). Following he served as Music Director for the American Opera Theatre, conducting their tour performances of La Bohème, and he closed the 2002/2003 season in Mexico leading the forces of the National Conservatory for performances of Il Trovatore with a cast of renowned alumni.

Highlights of previous commitments include the opening of the 2000/2001 season with a greatly successful new production of Tosca at the Grand Theatre in Hong Kong. Public and critics praised his conducting of Puccini’s masterpiece calling it “inspired, precise and masterful”. He began the 1999/2000 season conducting the Lucerne Symphony to continue as collaborator of Mtro. Alberto Zedda in the presentation of a Rossini Gala Concert with the "Giuseppe Verdi" Symphony Orchestra of Milan before inaugurating the season of the Jalisco Philharmonic. After this successful opening concert with a Homage Gala program dedicated to Silvestre Revueltas, Carlos Chávez, Johann Strauss Jr., and Richard Strauss, the newspapers El Público and El Informador integrally dedicated the first page of their cultural section to the chronicle of the concert qualifying it as a "brilliant homage" with "Sonorous, moving and accurate conducting by Mo. Carreón-Robledo".

In the 1998-1999 season he was a guest at the Teatro Comunale in Florence, covering Mo. Antonio Pappano in Willy Decker’s new production of Fasltaff and a symphonic concert, and Mo. Giuseppe Sinopoli in a performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, with the orchestra and chorus of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the orchestra. He also collaborated with Mo. Pappano in four concerts with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in November-December 1997, and with Mo. Carlo Rizzi in a new production of La Cenerentola at the 1998 Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro. During that same festival he followed Mo. Alberto Zedda’s sessions at the Accademia Rossiniana in order to further polish his interpretation of the Rossini repertoire.

Mo. Carreón-Robledo made his operatic debut as a teenager in Mexico City. He has since, conducted a wide variety of repertoire in contrasting and diverse places and situations. He has been on the podium of most major orchestras in Mexico including the Orquesta Sinfónica Silvestre Revueltas, Orquesta Sinfónica de Aguascalientes, Orquesta Sinfónica de la Universidad de Guanajuato, and Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco.

In opera he has concentrated on the Italian repertoire. Besides his own performing, he has worked with great conductors of the Italian tradition. He has been thoroughly involved in the preparation, study and performance of major pieces in that repertoire such as Verdi’s RIGOLETTO, LA TRAVIATA, IL TROVATORE, UN BALLO IN MASCHERA, OTELLO, and FALSTAFF; Puccini’s LE VILLI, LA BOHÈME, MADAMA BUTTERFLY, TOSCA, LA RONDINE, IL TRITTICO, and TURANDOT; Mozart’s COSÌ FAN TUTTE, LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, and DON GIOVANNI; Rossini’s IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, LA CENERENTOLA, and L’ITALIANA IN ALGERI to name a few on a list that extends not only to other major Italian composers but that includes pieces like Mozart’s DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE and DER SCHAUSPIELDIREKTOR; Massenet’s WERTHER; Bizet’s CARMEN; Dvorák’s RUSALKA, C. Floyd’s SUSANNAH, et al.

In the last few years he has devoted a great part of his calendar to ballet, bringing a balance of intensity and flexibility to his performances, his repertoire includes some of the full-length classics, among others The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Onegin, Romeo and Juliet, and Giselle, as well as shorter repertoire pieces like Carmina Burana, L’apres midi d’un faun, The Firebird, Serenade, Carmen, Pierrot Lunaire, Symphony in C, and Jewels to list a few. As an important part of his repertoire, some of the Mexican classics should be mentioned, such as Huapango, Danzón No. 2, Zapata (Tierra de Temporal), and Horse Power.

In the Theatre, he is actively involved providing vocal and dramatic training to actors and actresses, and constantly serving as an adviser and coach to a diversity of straight Theatre productions.

He was awarded the 1997-1998 Annual Grant for Orchestral Conductors of the Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes FONCA (National Foundation for the Arts and Culture) in Mexico.

In the 1993/1994 season he worked with the late Mo. Gianandrea Gavazzeni in the music preparation of a new production of La Rondine, directed by Nicolas Joël, at the Teatro alla Scala. The following season he did the same for the opening new production of Il Trittica, directed by Willy Decker and conducted by James Conlon, at the Oper der Stadt Köln.

As a vocal coach and teacher he has prepared young singers to win international competitions and have successful debuts at theatres including the Hamburgische Staatstoper, the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, the Teatro alla Scala, the Oper der Stadt, Köln, and the Opera de Bellas Artes in Mexico.

Mo. Carreón-Robledo is a unique professional who has integral experience in the administrative, organizational, and academic fields of the arts. His impeccable skills in those fields, combined with his extensive artistic background give him a global profile that makes him a well-rounded Music Administrator. At the beginning of his career, he was General Manager of the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra, Artistic Administrator of the University of Texas Opera Theatre, and Assistant Director of Musical Activities of the same University for four seasons. He has been associated with a diversity of Festivals, Performing Organizations, and Academic Institutions like the Israel Vocal Arts Institute (Israel), the Centro de Arte y Pedagogía (Mexico) the International Institute of Vocal Arts (US), the Kfar-Blum International Chamber Music Festival (Israel), and the National Companies (Mexico) of Opera, Ballet, and Theatre and the studios for young artists associated with them; where he has done extensive administrative and academic work alongside great international artists like Sherrill Milnes, Elena Obraztsova, Renato Capecchi, Federico Davia, Alfredo Kraus, Nico Castel, Robert Coward, Linda Hall, Yelena Kurdina, George Darden, Robert Myers, Maria Cleva, Vera Rözsa, Patricia McCaffrey, Barbara Honn, Virginia Zeani, and Rita Patanè among many others. At different times he has acted as Casting Director, Rehearsal and Activities Director, Budget Co-ordinator, Head of Artist Relations, Head of Music Staff, and Head of Technical Staff. He has overseen the production and performance of countless operas, concerts, and plays.

Mo. Carreón-Robledo started formal studies in Mexico. After forming his first orchestra while still a teenager with a concert calendar in Mexico City and touring parts of the country, he attended the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, as he studied conducting with Francisco Savín and Enrique Diemecke, Music Directors respectively of the National Ballet and the National Symphony. He continued undergraduate studies in Composition and Music Theory at California State University-Northridge, earned a Master of Music degree in Opera Production from the University of Mississippi. The University of Texas at Austin, became his Alma Mater with the completion of two Doctorates in Drama (Stage Directing) and Musical Arts (Conducting), obtaining the unanimous highest grade for his Doctoral Comprehensive Exams.

His first mentors got him in touch with an artistic line that, through the historic past, traces liaisons with the composers themselves, mainly of Italian Opera. From the beginning of his career Mo. Carreón-Robledo has had first hand contact with Conductors that head a list of excellence in the profession from three generations. He has been close collaborator and assistant to, among others, Maestri Michelangelo Veltri, Walter Ducloux, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Alberto Zedda, Nello Santi, Giuseppe Sinopoli, James Conlon, Carlo Rizzi, and Antonio Pappano.