Carlos Izcaray
Music Director, Alabama Symphony Orchestra
Composer
"Conductor Carlos Izcaray made an outstanding, memorable debut, leading with idiomatic fire and elan; he’s a real find."
– St Louis Post-Dispatch
"Izcaray is inspiring to watch as his energy and spirit infect orchestra and audience alike." – Classical Voice America
Carlos Izcaray is a prominent figure in classical music, distinguished as one of the few contemporary artists who has achieved remarkable success across multiple dimensions of this art form.
Now in his 10th season as the Music Director of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Izcaray has garnered significant acclaim for his innovative leadership and contributions to the organization. His artistry and depth of expression have been praised by international media, establishing him as one of the leading conductors of his generation. He has performed with a wide array of world-class artists and renowned orchestras, including the St. Louis, Pacific, Fort Worth, North Carolina, and San Antonio symphonies, as well as leading the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin, Malmö Symfoniorkester, Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música, Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá, and many others.
In opera and ballet, Izcaray has earned accolades for his performances at prestigious venues such as the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Utah Opera, Opera Omaha, and the Wexford Festival Opera, where his 2010 production of Mercadante's Virginia won the Best Opera prize at the Irish Theatre Awards. Most recently, he made his Lincoln Center debut in December 2024, conducting several performances of "The Nutcracker" with the New York City Ballet.
His recordings with Orchid Classics, featuring compositions from award-winning composers like Max Richter and Kris Bowers, have received widespread acclaim, consistently ranking highly on Classical Music streaming charts. Notably, he is the featured conductor in the innovative film Philharmonic Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra, available on Apple TV+.
As an emerging composer, Izcaray’s recent work Exultate, commissioned by the Orchestre national d’Île-de-France for their 50th Anniversary, received its world premiere at the Philharmonie de Paris. Repeat performances took place across France, including at the Royal Chapel at the iconic Palace of Versailles, and the work was streamed on Radio France. Other significant premieres include original works at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA, and new concertos for international artists like Santiago Cañón-Valencia, Tessa Lark, and Anthony McGill. His Requiem debuted with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, as well as his First Piano Concerto with Conor Hanick as soloist. Izcaray is set to premiere his First Symphony in May 2026, commemorating the 250th Anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence.
Imaginatively navigating the challenges of the pandemic, he both composed and directed several multimedia works, including Geometric Unity for virtual orchestra, Bloom for percussion ensemble and electronics, and Symphony of Colors, a sensory collage uniting all music students from the Alabama School of Fine Arts.
A staunch advocate for nurturing young talent, from 2016 to 2024 he served as Music Director of the LA-based American Youth Symphony. His commitment to education is demonstrated through tours and workshops with leading music institutions, including Venezuela’s renowned El Sistema, Fundación Batuta in Colombia, Neojiba in Brazil, the London Schools Symphony Orchestra, and the Cambridge University Music Society, where he has taught masterclasses in conducting. He has also conducted the World Youth Symphony Orchestra at the Interlochen Center for the Arts on multiple occasions.
Born into an artistic family in Caracas, Izcaray began his musical journey at the age of three in Venezuela's public youth orchestra system. He continued as a boy chorister, violinist, and cellist at the Emil Friedman Conservatory, and trained under his father in conducting from his teenage years. An accomplished instrumentalist, Izcaray has enjoyed a rewarding career as a concert soloist and chamber musician, previously serving as Principal Cello and Artistic President of the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra before focusing primarily on conducting and composing. Honing his skills with Maestro David Zinman, he became a distinguished fellow at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen. Izcaray is an alumnus of the Interlochen Arts Academy, New World School of the Arts, and Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and received top honors at the 2007 Aspen Music Festival and the 2008 Toscanini International Conducting Competition. He resides in Birmingham and holds dual citizenship in Spain and Venezuela. As a passionate and gifted communicator, he is often engaged as lecturer and guest speaker in academia, as well as the non-profit and private sector.
Alabama Symphony Orchestra: https://alabamasymphony.org/
Promoters please note: if you wish to include this biography in a concert programme etc, please contact Jessica Grime at James Brown Management to ensure that you receive the most up to date version: jmg@jamesbrownmanagement.com