Raul Gomez, conductor, violin and viola
Raul Gomez is a Costa Rican orchestral conductor, composer, violinist and violist. He has been recently appointed as Artistic Director of Kids’ Orchestra in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is a Sidney M. Blitzer violinist and a Huel D. Perkins Fellow in the Doctor of Musical Arts program at Louisiana State University, where he studies under the guidance of Carlos Riazuelo (conducting) and Espen Lilleslatten (violin/viola).
A versatile musician, Raul combines his work in orchestral conducting and composition with an active career as a violinist and violist in a variety of musical genres and styles, including classical music, jazz and free improvisation. He is the founder of Louisiana Classical Music, the Chair of Cultural Affairs for the Latin American Student Association at LSU, and a member of the ensembles Incense Merchants (free improvisation) and BossaRica (latin jazz). Raul’s work as a composer was recently featured in a critically acclaimed production of Shakespeare’s King Lear by Swine Palace, the premier professional theatre company of Louisiana. He holds a Master of Music degree in Violin Performance from LSU, and from 2002 to 2006, he held a fellowship from YOA Orchestra of the Americas as a Costa Rican representative.
Mr. Gomez was born in Costa Rica and started playing the violin at age 9, under the instruction of Professor Jose A. Castillo, with whom he studied for 13 years. At age 16 he was the youngest member of the Costa Rican National Symphony Orchestra. During his undergraduate studies in Costa Rica, he held the position of concertmaster for the Costa Rican Youth Symphony Orchestra for 3 years, leading the ensemble through many performances in San Jose and on concert tours in Michigan, Washington D.C., Madrid and Amsterdam.
From 2002 to 2005, Mr. Gomez was selected as a Costa Rican representative for the Youth Orchestra of the Americas. During his time as a fellow, he traveled with this orchestra to Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, England, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Uruguay and several cities in the United States.
After private studies with virtuoso violinist Dylana Jenson in Michigan, Mr. Gomez earned a Master of Music degree at LSU under eminent violin professor Kevork Mardirossian. From 2006 to 2008, he was a member of Louisiana Sinfonietta, Acadiana Symphony and Baton Rouge Symphony, where he held the position of Assistant Principal Viola (2007-2008). In 2008 Raul was one of the winners of the LSU School of Music Dean’s Concerto Competition, performing Sibelius’ Violin Concerto. Recent soloist appearances include performances with the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, the Costa Rican Youth Orchestra, Louisiana Sinfonietta and LSU Symphony.
Raul has also studied with jazz violinist Christian Howes in his annual Creative Strings Workshop. In 2010, Raul’s trio BossaRica had a successful concert tour in Louisiana and Brazil.
Starting in 2008, Raul has served as the Principal Guest Conductor for the Contemporary String Ensemble in New Orleans. He currently studies at LSU under the guidance of Professors Carlos Riazuelo (Orchestral Conducting), Espen Lilleslatten (Violin Performance) and Willis Delony (Applied Jazz).
Starting in 2008, Raul has served as the Principal Guest Conductor for the Contemporary String Ensemble in New Orleans. He keeps a calendar of upcoming performances and a blog at www.RGomezMusic.com.