The conductor, aged 34, is making her debut with a programme formed by works by Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich

 

The Tenerife Symphony Orchestra is approaching a new seasonal event with a programme that will make it possible to discover two new talents on the international scene making their debut on the Island: The Colombian conductor Lina González-Granados (34-years-old) and the Uzbek pianist Evgeny Konnov (29-years-old), both winners of important awards despite their young age. The concert will be on Friday [3], at 7:30 p.m., in the Auditorio de Tenerife, with a programme that includes works by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Dmitri Shostakovich and it is sponsored by the Jesus Serra Foundation.

The selected repertoire begins with the concert for piano and orchestra No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, by Sergei Rachmaninoff. This piece, considered one of the composers’ best-known scores, premiered in 1901 after he overcame a long period of depression. Over its course, it is possible to note the writing against the tide of a Romantic style that the author refused to abandon.  

In the second part of the concert, the orchestra will perform Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47, by Dmitri Shostakovich. This composition written in 1937 presents a heroic character with clear influences from Beethoven and Mahler, with which the Russian author aimed to redeem himself to the Soviet regime after the harsh critique received for his opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. 

Lina González-Granados is the current resident conductor of Los Angeles Opera, she holds a Master’s Degree in Conducting and a Graduate Diploma from New England Conservatory; and she also holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting from Boston University.

Born and raised in Cali (Colombia), Lina González-Granados made her debut as an orchestra conductor aged 20. She subsequently won the Fourth Chicago Symphony Orchestra Sir Georg Solti International Conducting Competition of Chicago, becoming the Assistant Director of the Chicago Symphony under the helm of the maestro Riccardo Muti. She has also led the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

Her versatility in the symphonic and operatic fields, as well as her commitment to the creation and promotion of the Latin American repertoire, have earned her recognition with the Sphinx Medal of Excellence 2021, Solti Foundation US Career Assistance Award 2020 and 2021, and the Third Place and the ECHO Special Prize of the La Maestra Competition.

Her latest appearances include different performances with the Philharmonic Orchestra of New York, the San Francisco Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Rochester, and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra or the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra. She also collaborates frequently with artists of the stature of Misha Maisky, Yefim Bronfman, Pinchas Zukerman, Pablo Ferrández, Giancarlo Guerrero, Zubin Mehta, Marin Alsop and Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Evgeny Konnov began studying piano at the early age of four. In 1999 he began training at the Gnesin State Music School in Moscow and, subsequently, at the Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow. From 2012 to 2013, he studied at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf. In 2013 he attended the Leopold-Mozart-Zentrum at the University of Augsburg and, between 2017 and 2021, he undertook studies at the Music Academy "Neue Sterne" in Hannover. Since 2019, he has continued studying at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.

The Uzbek pianist has obtained awards in different competitions, such as First Prize and the Audience Award at the 64th Maria Canals International Music Competition in Barcelona in 2018. He also obtained the First Prize and the Audience Award at the 31st International Piano Competition Ettore Pozzoli in Seregno in 2019. In 2020 he achieved the First Prize at the 14th Unisa International Piano Competition in Pretoria. 

Konnov has performed with different international groups: Symphony Orchestra of Madrid, Symphony Orchestra of Bilbao, National Youth Orchestra of Catalonia, City of Granada Orchestra, Augsburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of Sanremo and the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.

The tickets for the concert in the Auditorio de Tenerife can be purchased on the website www.sinfonicadetenerife.es, at the auditorium's box office and by dialling the phone number 902 317 327 from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Through these three channels, it is also possible to formalise the renewal of subscriptions for the orchestra, season 2019-2020, once the new 2022-2023 season has been presented.