About

Biography

“He has a superb natural ability and instinct for conducting, allied with an excellent ear and an analytical mind.” — James Lowe

“Music is all about emotions”, says Luis Toro Araya. The Chilean conductor continues to establish his brilliant career internationally. The 23/24 season marks his appointment as Chief Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Concepción, one of the most important Chilean orchestras. He also makes his debut with (a.o) Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Orquestra do Algarve and Orchestre de Picardie. Toro Araya transmits to the audience performances full of emotion, engaging with musicians in a personal, energising way, and bringing a wide palette of subtle yet powerful colours to the concert platform.

Luis Toro Araya will start his tenure as Chief Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Concepción in March 2025. This season he will also intensify his relationship with the Orquesta Nacional de España, where he held the position of Assistant Conductor until September 2024, working closely with David Afkham, Musical and Artistic Director. In 2024 he performed successfully with the ONE and Pablo Sáinz-Villegas at La Rioja Festival. During 2023 he was also part of the Dudamel Fellowship of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, collaborating with conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel, Zubin Mehta and Susanna Mälkki, and leading the orchestra is acclaimed performances of Stravinsky’\s The Firebird.

Toro Araya has successfully participated in different competitions, being a finalist of the Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors Award 2021, leading the Camerata Salzburg in the 100th Edition of the Salzburg Festival. He is also a prize winner at the International Opera Conducting Competition in Liege and winner of the Opera Award and the Audience Award at the International Conducting Competition Rotterdam (ICCR). The 2023/24 season included successful debuts with orchestras such as the Dresdner Philharmonie, Orquesta de Radio y Televisión Española, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Chile and Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra. Future engagements include concerts in Ireland, Portugal, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Belgium and Latin America.

Born 1995 in San Vicente de Tagua Tagua, Chile, he studied violin at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Chile and at the Modern School of Music with Alberto Dourthé Castrillón. He was later part of the National Symphony Orchestra of Chile from 2014 until 2017. In 2015 he began his orchestral conducting studies with conductors such as Jorge Rotter, Leonid Grin, Garrett Keast and Helmuth Reichel Silva. In masterclasses, he has been able to work with conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Paavo Järvi, James Lowe and Larry Rachleff. Luis Toro Araya studied orchestral conducting at the University of Music Franz Liszt in Weimar with Prof. Nicolás Pasquet and at the Zurich University of Arts with Prof. Johannes Schlaefli.