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Orlando Jacinto Garcia: Contemporary Classical Composer, Conductor, Educator

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Orlando Jacinto Garcia: Contemporary Classical Composer, Conductor, Educator

 

 




Introduction to Orlando Jacinto Garcia.  1:06 min.  Interview:  Raymond Elman.  Camera:  Kadesha Floyd. Editor:  Betsabe Romero.

 

 




Recording Process of the new CD production “Of Wind, Sea and Light” by composer Orlando Jacinto García with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Malaga. The great soloists Jennifer Choi (violin), Cristina Valdés (piano) and Fernando Dominguez (clarinet) contribute with their magic to this recording.  4:18 min.

 

Through 200 works composed for a wide range of performance genres including interdisciplinary and site-specific works, and works with and without electronics for orchestra, choir, soloists, and a variety of chamber ensembles, Orlando Jacinto García has established himself as an important figure in the new music world. The distinctive character of his music has often been described as “time suspended- haunting sonic explorations,” qualities he developed from his studies with Morton Feldman among others.

Born in Havana in 1954, Garcia migrated to the United States in 1961. In demand as a guest composer, he is the recipient of numerous honors and awards from a variety of organizations and cultural institutions including the Rockefeller, Fulbright, Knight, Dutka, Civitella Ranieri, Bogliasco, and Cintas Foundations, the State of Florida, the MacDowell and Millay Colony, and the Ariel, Noise International, Matiz Rangel, Nuevas Resonancias, Salvatore Martirano, and Bloch International Competitions. Most recently he has been the recipient of four Latin Grammy nominations in the best Contemporary Classical Composition Category (2009-11, 2015). With performances around the world, his works are recorded on New Albion, O.O. Discs, CRI /New World, Albany, North/South, CRS, Rugginenti, VDM, Capstone, Innova, CNMAS, Opus One, Telos, and Toccata Classics.

Garcia is the founder and director of the NODUS Ensemble, the Miami Chapter of the International Society for Contemporary Music, the New Music Miami ISCM Festival, and is a resident composer for the Miami Symphony Orchestra. A dedicated educator, he is Professor of Composition and Composer in Residence for the School of Music at Florida International University.

— Orlando Jacinto Garcia website

The videos below are organized by Success Factor and run between 30 seconds and 5 minutes. Click on any video. You must be connected to the Internet to view the videos.

 

 

OPEN TO CHANGE, FLEXIBILITY: 1:39 min.




Where did you grow up?

 

EXPOSURE TO BROAD INFLUENCES:   4:02 min.




What’s your earliest memory of music?

 

SELF-CONFIDENCE:  1:26 min.




When you were a child in Cuba, did you grow up in an elite society?

 

RESILIENCE:  3:15 min.




You speak unaccented in English, was that something that you consciously worked on, or did that just kind of happen?

 

CRITICAL THINKING: 6:48 min.




Described the evolution of your career.

 

INSIGHT & INSPIRATION:  5:07 min.




Talk about John Cage’s influence?

 

CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND: 1:06 min.




Everyone has experienced sitting in a quiet room and suddenly becoming aware of a ticking clock that we didn’t hear before. Is that what happens in your music?

 

UNDERSTANDS THE BUSINESS OF ART:   5:06 min.




You appear to be very entrepreneurial — creating multiple projects with various collaborators in diverse venues.

 

UNDERSTANDS THE BUSINESS OF ART:  3:13 min.




How do composers get paid for their work?

 

CREATIVE FLEXIBILITY:  5:06 min.




Talk about what you’re working on right now, and your criteria for taking on the project.

 

OVERCOMES CHALLENGES TO SUCCEED:  5:28 min.




Describe a challenging situation with a successful outcome.

 

CRITICAL THINKING:  2:11 min.




Tell us the story about avant-garde composer Morton Feldman being invited to John Deere to give a talk about “thinking outside the box.”

 

CRITICAL THINKING:  2:30 min.




What are the challenges for the type of music that you choose to compose?

 

PERSEVERANCE FURTHERS:  2:14 min.




I assume that talented musicians are excited to play your music because how many times do they want to perform Mozart?

 

PERSEVERANCE FURTHERS:  4:22 min.




What is the current state of contemporary music in Miami?

 

INSIGHT & INSPIRATION:  1:11 min.




What’s your favorite film?

 

 

DISTANT WIND II:  14:43 min.




On August 31, 2013, Orlando Garcia conducted the premiere of the Distant Wind II for clarinet soloist, string orchestra, glasses and wind chimes at the Summer Music Festival in Sandomierz, Poland, with the Lviv National Philharmonic Symphony orchestra and clarinet virtuoso Wojciech Mrozek.