"Maestro Igor Sarmientos knew how to lead the orchestra with sharp accuracy, exquisite sensitivity and with complete mastery of the art of conducting..."

Eduardo Kusnir.

 

     I  gor Sarmientos has been described as a fine orchestra conductor capable of producing many colors from an orchestra, a conductor who possess great musicianship and accurate baton technique. With every performance, he usually enjoys respectful acknowledgments from critics, musicians, and artists. Igor Sarmientos is Associate Music Director and Conductor of McLean Symphony in McLean, VA. , since 2017-present.

 

His personality defines him as an artist who is committed to performing music with passion, working in detail to achieve unique interpretations.  

 He made his international orchestral debut in August of 1990 with Orquesta Sinfonica "Carlos Chavez" of Mexico City, Mexico.

 

A turning point in his life career was in November of 1993 when he was awarded the First Prize of the First Latin American Orchestra Conducting Competition, sponsored by the Symphony Orchestra of the University of Sao Paulo, a fully professional orchestra in São Paulo, Brazil. This award led to him to be offered the post of Assistant and later Associate Director of the Symphony Orchestra of the University of São Paulo from 1994-1996.

 

As a guest conductor, he has worked with fine orchestras being highly acclaimed. He made his Middle East debut in October 2014 with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra in Cairo, Egypt, at the Main Hall of the Cairo Opera. This performance brought him a tremendous success obtaining highly acclaim from critics, audience and members of the orchestra been praised for his fine baton accuracy, deep interpretations, and musicianship. In May of 2012 he conducted the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela at the XVII Festival Latinoamericano de Música in Caracas, Venezuela, invited by Music Director Alfredo Rugeles;  having being praised by critics, composers and members of the orchestra) performing contemporary music.

 

He has made appearances with orchestras such as, Orquesta Sinfonica de Heredia, Costa Rica;  Cairo Symphony Orchestra in Cairo, Egypt; Orquesta Sinfonica de Xalapa, Veracruz, Orquesta Filarmonica de Jalisco, Orquesta de la Universidad de Guanajuato, Orquesta Sinfonica “Carlos Chavez”, Orquesta de Camara de Colima, and also former Music Director- in Mexico; Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Peru, Peru; Orquesta Sinfonica de El Salvador, El Salvador; Orquestra Sinfonica do Estado de Sao Paulo (Sao Paulo State Symphony Orchestra), Orquesta Sinfonica de Londrina, Orquestra Sinfonica da Bahia, Orquestra Sinfonica da Universidade de Sao Paulo, (Sao Paulo University Symphony Orchestra), in Brazil; Orquesta Sinfonica de Matanzas, Cuba; Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Guatemala, Guatemala; Czech Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, of Czech Republic; Symphony Orchestra of TV-Radio Moldova and Filarmonica Nationala of Moldova “Sergei Lunchevici”, Republic of Moldova; Ruse Philharmonic of Bulgaria; Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, Lithuania;  “August Ardenois” Chamber Orchestra of Guatemala; Symphony Orchestra of the International Festival Paiz of Antigua Guatemala, New England Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, invited by Maestro Benjamin Zander, in its Central American tour, to share the podium with him; InterArte Symphony Orchestra of Guatemala City; McLean Symphony, San Francisco Sinfonietta, George Mason Symphony Orchestra, University of North Texas Symphony Orchestra,  Musicians of Mercy orchestra, Maryland, in the USA.

 

Among the soloists with whom he has collaborated with are: Kumi Miyagawa, Robert De Maine (principal cello of Los Angeles Phil), Carlos Prieto, Jose Luis Sola, Judith Borras, Keiko Abe, Antonio Lauro del Claro, Gianfranco Bortolato, Elisa Fukuda, Robert Davidovici, Carter Enyeart, Raquel Ramirez, Zamira Barquero, Luis Orlandini, Pavel Steidel, Luis Gaeta, Luis Giron May, Licia Lucas, Andres Archila, Encarnacion Vasquez, Marco Rapetti, Birgit Beer, Felipe Ramirez, among many other fine soloists. Besides the standard repertoire, Igor Sarmientos is an advocate of contemporary music and especially that of Latin-American composers. In the past twenty years, he has spread to audiences the Music of Central American composers especially those by his father, Guatemalan composer, Jorge Sarmientos.

 

He conducted again the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Guatemala with Robert De Maine (Principal Cello of LA PHIL) as a soloist during the International Week of the Cello Festival. 

In 1997, with the support of Venezuelan iconic Maestro Jose Antonio Abreu together and in collaboration with other colleagues introduced in Guatemala the replica of the musical initiative known as “El Sistema”.  He is the co-founder of Foundation “Musica y Juventud” for youth and children’s orchestras in Guatemala. Its top project was Orquesta Sinfonica “Jesus Castillo” which Maestro Sarmientos lead and was its Music Director and Conductor for ten years as was its Music and Artistic Director and conductor. The orchestra was one of the best musical youth entities in Central America in the last thirty years. He was also the Music Director of the National Choir of Guatemala. In the academic field, he was named Director of the National Conservatory of Music of Guatemala from 2000-2006. He also served as an academic advisor, working and creating curricula for the academic college level for the national university Universidad de San Carlos where was also faculty as well as at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala and Conservatorio Nacional de Musica.

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Besides the symphonic repertoire, he feels comfortable also conducting ballet and opera. He has had significant success in several performances with the National Ballet of Guatemala and as well as Opera productions. In December 2006, he made his opera debut with a spectacular “Don Giovanni” in collaboration with Italian stage director Stefano Poda, and the Foundation of Teatro Principal de Palma de Mallorca of Spain. The performance was a historical success, with a full house for four nights in the National Theater of Guatemala. Maestro Sarmientos is well known for his accurate and expressive baton when accompaniment soloists and as well by his profound, intense, and detailed comprehension of the full score that results in interesting performances.

 

Since a child, he played to be a conductor.  During his Bachelor program, he began to conduct orchestras at the Conservatorio Nacional de Musica when he was still a teenager. Soon after, he had the opportunity to study seriously orchestral conducting at a private and college level, receiving advice and teachings from his father Jorge Sarmientos, Anshel Brusilow, Serge Zechnacker, Anthony Maiello, and Dennis Layendecker. He attended several Master Classes with conductors such as Guillermo Scarabino, Mario Benzecri, the late Eduardo Mata (Music Director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra), Eri Klas, Jorma Panula, Kenneth Kiesler and Marin Alsop.

While playing cello in the University of North Texas Symphony Orchestra, he had the distinguished pleasure to play under composer Witold Lutowslasky's baton from which whom he received also advice.

Igor was chosen as a percussionist for the concert of the “World Philharmonic Orchestra” sponsored by the International Red Cross in December of 1986 in Rio de Janeiro, under the baton of Maestro Lorin Maazel. This concert was recorded and issued in 1987. 

 

Apart from his conducting activities, he is an accomplished cellist. He studied cello with Eduardo Ortiz at Conservatorio Nacional de Musica de Guatemala, later he was invited to attend the University of North Texas (Denton) by Adolfo Odnoposoff where he studied with him and Carter Enyeart. He played in masterclasses for Antonio Meneses, Jascha Silverstein, Yo-Yo Ma, and Gary Hoffman. He also studied baroque cello with Christina Mahler in the Tafel Baroque Institute in Toronto, 2006. He performed as a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Guatemala, Jesus Castillo Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Conservatorio Nacional de Musica, and  in recitals in different venues in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, the United States and made his cellist Asian debut in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on March 26-31, 2016.

 

He is a committed academic scholar and pedagogue. He has worked extensively with children and young musicians. As a result of his work, many youth orchestras enhanced its playing in a short period of time. He does not only teach them orchestral techniques but also he inspires students not only in their personal artistic goals but also advises them in being better human beings every day. Many musicians who seek advice are now professional performers. In Northern Virginia, he has worked with Thomas Jefferson Elementary school as Teacher and conductor of the TJ Strings program, George Washington Middle School in Alexandria and supported and helped the string program in Mason Crest Elementary as a volunteer, Bruce-Monroe Elementary School as a cello an orchestral teacher a program from the Washington Performing Arts through QuinTango ensemble.

 

Sarmientos has directed and taught various Conducting Masterclasses in La Habana, Cuba, (Instituto Superior de Arte) for doctoral candidates, National Conservatory of Music, Guatemala; Corpo Musicale San Giorgio, Vedano al Lambro, Italy, El Salvador, and Brazil.

 

Igor was a prodigy child. When he was five years old, he showed a peculiar talent for percussion. He began by playing the drums set and getting the exact beats and rhythm of the music just by listening to the vinyl vintage recordings. With 17 years old, he won the audition for principal Timpani at the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Guatemala, a post that he held for 12 years.  He later became a full-time principal timpani player with the Orchestra where he worked closely with Lukas Foss when Maestro Foss visited Guatemala for a special concert. He left his native Guatemala to pursue his Master of Music studies.

 

He is the son of the late re-known composer and conductor, Jorge Sarmientos. At this present, he works in organizing and reviewing his fathers’ manuscripts for new editions that were published by Keyboard Percussion Publications, New Jersey, US, now available.

Without having had mentors in the past, Igor gained by his own effort a place in the history of Guatemala; in the last two decades by leaving his own footprints as a pedagogue and founder of children and youth orchestras. Many of his former students shaped today the most important musical entities in Guatemala and overseas. He has been awarded numerous prizes and honors from cities and cultural entities. He maintains activity in the DC Metro area as a freelance cellist and teacher and maintains active as a conductor.

 

Igor Sarmientos got his Bachelors of Musical Arts in Cello from Conservatorio Nacional de Musica, Guatemala; Master of Music from University of North Texas (Denton) and the Doctorate in Musical Arts from George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. As a scholar, his research covers music and sociological, political, historical and ethnographic fields that he considered important elements to understand not only the music as a phenomenon but also to understand a culture. He has written for specialized magazines such as Music Reference Service Quarterly for Taylor & Francis Group in London as well as scholarly magazines from universities in Guatemala and the US. He has been invited to give lectures about music and art, ethnomusicology and philosophy for different academic entities. 

Dr. Igor Sarmientos is a scholar and an active researcher. His interests are ethnomusicology and archaeomusicology, focusing especially in the ancient and modern Maya culture.   He serves as adjunct faculty at George Mason University since 2011 where he teaches ethnomusicology, conducting, music history, music theory, and aural skills.  Besides George Mason University, he has taught for music academies, and private classes. Dr. Sarmientos works researching about the traditional music of the Quiche-Maya and many other ethnic groups of the Guatemalan highlands.

 

Recently he was invited to be part of the project COMUCH (Conservacion de Murales en Chajul),  that works for the conservation and study of several painted murals dated from the 16th to the 20th century, found in Chajul, Quiche in northwestern of Guatemala, in the Ixil area. He collaborates as the archaeomusicologist specialist, invited by the project directors, from the Jagellonian University in Krakow, Poland, and Guatemala. 

 

Igor Sarmientos shines for his musicianship, talent, versatility, human quality, and social sensitivity.