The Venezuelan-born, Spanish conductor José Luis Gomez began his musical career as a violinist and was catapulted to international attention when he won First Prize at the International Sir Georg Solti Conductor’s Competition in Frankfurt in September 2010, securing a sensational and rare unanimous decision from the jury.

Gomez’s electrifying energy, talent and creativity earned him immediate acclaim from the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra where he was appointed to the position of Assistant Conductor, a post created especially for him by Paavo Järvi and the orchestra directly upon the conclusion of the competition.

In 2016, Gomez was named Music Director of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. Since taking the helm, the orchestra has seen a marked increase in subscribers and donors to the orchestra and Gomez has worked tirelessly to introduce innovative and exciting new outreach activities whilst continuing to nurture and support existing education projects. Maestro Gomez is also a champion of many composers from his native South America, programming their works sensitively with more recognized classical names, creating hugely interesting and unique concerts. He has also been responsible for commissioning new works from composers such as Arturo Márquez, Michael Torke, Jonathan Leschnoff, Gabriela Smith, Peter Boyer, Jennifer Higdon and Pulitzer Prize winner and 2023 MacArthur fellow Raven Chacón , as part of important Co-comissions premiered in Tucson.

His Tenure in Tucson as the Music Director of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra has seen Gomez not only conduct pieces of the core repertoire such as the complete Beethoven’s Symphonies, Schumann, Schubert, Bruckner and Mahler Symphonies but also he has had the chance to explore exciting works new to the orchestra´s repertoire such as William Grant Still, Florence Price, Fela Sowande, the Tucson born Ulises Kay and Robert Muczinsky. Gomez has also invited and enjoyed working in Tucson and elsewhere with such important guest artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Midori, Renée Fleming ,Gil Shaham, Hillary Hahn, Gabriela Montero, Johannes Moser, Simon Trpčeski and in this upcoming 24/25 season the legendary violinist Itzakh Perlman.

Recent and upcoming highlights include appearances in the Americas with the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, D.C.) which marked his debut at the Kennedy Center for performing arts, St. Louis Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Houston Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Vancouver Symphony, Ottawa National Arts Center Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira, Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional del Perú, and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería at the Sala Nezahuacoyotl concert hall in Mexico DF. In Europe, he has conducted the RTVE National Symphony Orchestra in Madrid, Frankfurt Radio Orchestra (HR Sinfonie Orchester), Weimar Staatskapelle, Royal Scottish National Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Hamburg Symphony, SWR Symphonieorchester Stuttgart, Komische Oper Berlin, and most recently Maestro Gómez has returned to conduct the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de la Región de Murcia, Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Enescu Philharmonic of Bucarest, and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. This upcoming season sees debuts and return engagements at Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Omaha Symphony Orchestra, and Las Vegas Philharmonic, Sinfónica de Tenerife, and Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico.

Equally at home in operatic repertoire, Gómez will conduct this summer a new production of Bizet’s “Carmen” at Wolf Trap Opera in Washington DC and a new production of Gounod´s Romeo et Juliette at Opera Tenerife. Recently he has led a new production of Puccini´s La Bohème at the Opera Theater St. Louis to great acclaim from the press and audience. Gomez also has led performances of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro , Don Giovanni and Cavalleria Rusticana with Opera Lombardia, La Bohème at the Frankfurt Oper and Teatro Coccia di Novara, Italy, Rossini’s La Cenerentola at Stuttgart Opera, Verdi’s Don Carlo and Bellini’s Norma at the Tbilisi State Theater in Georgia, Verdi´s La Forza del Destino in Tokyo at the New National Theatre Tokio.

Maestro Gomez was the Principal Conductor of the Orchestra 1813 of the Teatro Sociale di Como between 2012 and 2015 where he curated a new symphonic season, which resulted in a new and enthusiastic audience, conducting concerts to full houses which leaded him to receive the “Premio Citta di Como” for his services to nurture and expand the quality and impact of the theater in the community. He is currently the Musical Director of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra where his contract has been extended to the end of the 26/27 season.

José Luis Gomez

Know What’s Happening

José Luis Gomez

Know What’s Happening