Iván del Prado Ariosa is a prestigious Cuban orchestra conductor; he was born on January 25, 1969, in the province of Holguín. He began his studies at just six years old, taking violin lessons in his hometown. In 1986, he graduated with excellent grades from the violin and viola class of Leonid Kontorovich and Sydney Campbell. It is noteworthy that during this period, he won Second Prize in the Amadeo Roldan National Competition for Young Performers.

That same year, he won a competitive scholarship to the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) (1110 Calle 120 between 9th and 13th, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana), where he began his studies in orchestral conducting. He graduated in 1993 with a degree in Orchestral Conducting, earning the “Best Overall Graduate” diploma. During his time at the institution, he served as principal conductor of the Academic Chamber Orchestra and the Havana Youth Orchestra, which he founded.

Since 1994, he has served as principal conductor of the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra, alongside Maestro Leo Brouwer (General Director). At the helm, he has developed a major artistic project that has included more than 300 concerts in several uninterrupted seasons, educational concerts, the recording of two albums, recording of television and radio programs, conducting film music, and national and international tours.

The Maestro, along with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra, participated in the First International Music Festival in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He has also performed world premieres of works by significant composers at the Havana International Festival of Contemporary Music and the Havana Guitar Festival. He was the first Cuban conductor to perform Beethoven’s complete Nine Symphonies in concert.

Iván del Prado has collaborated with the Peruvian Pro-Lyric Association due to his successful work in the field of opera, staging and directing a variety of titles, including Puccini’s Tosca and La Boheme; Donizetti’s La Traviata and Otello; and Gounod’s Faust, among others, as well as a variety of Cuban and Spanish zarzuelas. He also provided musical assistance for the concert given by tenor José Carreras at the Jockey Club in Peru in 1996.

In October 1998, his experience conducting ballet music led him to the complete Cuban premiere of Alicia Alonso’s version of The Nutcracker for the Cuban National Ballet. In 1999, Maestro Daniel Barenboim invited Iván del Prado to assist him in the musical direction of the latest choreographic version of the same ballet, created by the celebrated French choreographer Patrice Bart for the Berlin State Opera. The Maestro was selected by the Ballet Company of the prestigious Berlin State Opera to direct the ballet Swan Lake during its last tour of Spain. He also appeared at the renowned German opera house on another occasion to conduct the ballet Giselle.

Among the orchestras conducted by Maestro Iván del Prado are: Matanzas Symphony Orchestra; Cuban National Opera Orchestra; Chamber Orchestra of the Higher Institute of Art (1110 120th Street between 9th and 13th Streets, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana) of Havana; Orchestra of the Grand Theater of Havana; Villa Clara Symphony Orchestra; Camagüey Symphony Orchestra; Symphony Orchestra of the University of Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico; Orchestra of the StaatKapelle of Berlin, Germany; Kennedy Center Symphony Orchestra, USA; Symphony Orchestra of the Community of Madrid, Spain; Ocean Pacific Symphony Orchestra, USA; Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, China; Virginia Symphony Orchestra, USA; Lille Symphony Orchestra, France; Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra, Colombia; Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, Portugal; Seville Royal Symphony Orchestra, Spain; Berlin State Chapel Orchestra, Germany; Shanghai Radio and Television Orchestra, China; and the Beijing Ballet Symphony Orchestra, China.

From a pedagogical perspective, it is worth highlighting that the Maestro offered an interpretation course at the National Conservatory of Lima in Peru in 1996. In August 2000, he led the second international workshop for young orchestra conductors, organized by the Youth Orchestra System of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

In 2003, the Maestro served as Musical Director of the International Piano Festival, held in the Canary Islands, Spain.

Iván del Prado presents the highest distinction awarded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cuba to individuals who have significantly contributed to the cultural life of our country.