Lucía Marín made her debut in Spain with the best professional orchestras in the country: Orquesta Nacional de España, Orquesta Sinfónica de Radiotelevisión Española, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Orquesta de Córdoba, Orquesta del Principado de Asturias, Orquesta De Euskadi, Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao, Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, Filarmónica de Málaga, Oviedo Filarmonía, Joven Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, Orquesta Sinfónica de Las Palmas, Joven Orquesta de Canarias, Orquesta Joven de Andalucía, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid, Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife and Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla León, among others.
Marín has a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the Conservatorio Superior de Sevilla, a bachelor’s degree in orchestra conducting from Musikene, a master’s degree in orchestra conducting from Illinois State University and a doctorate from the University of Kentucky.
During her time in the US, she conducted in China, Italy, Romania, Austria and Portugal. She was also the principal conductor of the University of Kentucky Philharmonia and the assistant conductor of the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra and Opera Theatre from 2012 to 2015 where she conducted The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, La Bohème, Suor Angelica, Les Misérables, Sweeney Todd, The Phantom of the Opera, Ainadamar and The Nutcracker with the Moscow Ballet.
She has received conducting masterclasses from Jorma Panula, Peter Gülke in the Internationale Sommerakademie Mozarteum and Riccardo Muti at the Italian Opera Academy.
Marín is about to make her Australian debut with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and State Opera South Australia.
How would you describe the conductor’s role to your friends and family who don’t work in the arts?
That is a very interesting question. I would tell them that my duty is basically to understand the music as a whole, like a unit full of energy and emotions that I must be able to pass on to the musicians and the audience during rehearsals and performances.
How and why did you become a conductor?
I can’t remember a time without music around me, even as a child. I think I always wanted to be a musician, something I could achieve first as a piano player, and then, after some thought, as an orchestra conductor and now I am the happiest musician in the world.
What’s an average day or week like for you?
Lots of Lucia di Lammermoor rehearsals with State Opera South Australia! We are only a few days away from opening, so things are getting hectic, and exciting. Other than that, my perfect combo is always: good rest, good food, good study, some workout, some reading, and free time to enjoy life with family and friends.
What’s the most common misconception about being a conductor?
That we are egocentric and bad tempered. I can guarantee conductors are just good and nice professionals aiming to express music and share it with others.
With your international experience, to what degree do you have to adapt your physical vocabulary to communicate more clearly with different orchestras, or is music truly an international language?
Well, it is always helpful to speak some other languages, at least some terms and some concepts like ‘short’, ‘long’, ‘soft’, ‘loud’ as well as numbers, letters… But the way we communicate music is beyond words, as music itself is an international language, thank God!
Do you have a preference for a particular genre or style of orchestral music, or a specific composer above all others and, if so, please tell us why/why not?
I love music overall, and I really enjoy every composer that is on my stand, but I can tell you a secret, Giacomo Puccini always touches my heart. It is impossible to write more beautiful music than he did. To me, he is the real deal. I challenge anyone to listen to [Luciano] Pavarotti singing ‘Nessun Dorma’ from Puccini’s Turandot and not be moved by it.
What is the most memorable thing that’s ever happened to you in your career to date?
Let me tell you, this Australian debut feels pretty special already! I have had many great moments in my career, but sometimes I feel that every time I am at the podium is a memorable moment for me, because I feel completely free and fully alive, flowing, just in the right place, absolutely connected to the musicians and the audience, and that is always an unforgettable feeling.
If you were interviewing someone to take over your job, what skills and qualities would you look for?
Very good question. Well, first of all you need to be a person with an enormous intuition, someone capable of understanding music beyond the notes. You also need certain knowledge of the human being: the composer, the musicians under your baton and the audience. And, of course, you have to be a very passionate person who believes music can transform the world, and generous enough to share your energy and feelings in order to touch people’s hearts through music.
Lucía Marín conducts the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in State Opera South Australia’s production of Lucia di Lammermoor at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide from 8-16 November 2024.
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