The national and international music industry has recognized Lina Gonzalez-Granados for her talent in classical music. And now, she will be the resident director of Los Angeles Opera for the 22-23 season. Gonzalez was born and raised in Cali, Colombia. From a very young age, she began to study music professionally in her hometown. Gonzalez made her debut as a conductor in 2008 with the Youth Orchestra of Bellas Artes in Cali. Currently, she holds a Master’s Degree in Conducting with Charles Peltz, a Graduate Diploma in Choral Conducting from New England Conservatory, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting from Boston University.

Gonzalez is a person who supports inclusion and has never left her roots and her Latino community behind. So she founded an orchestra called Unitas Ensemble. Unitas was founded in 2014 to spread the beauty of Latin music and respect for folk music. In addition, Unitas has directed and performed world musical premieres and works by Latin composers. The orchestra has also offered a variety of concerts for those marginalized communities so that all people were able to enjoy musical art experiences.

Gonzalez Awards and Performances

The classical music industry has recognized this 34-year-old melomaniac for her dedication with important awards in the classical music industry. Some of them are the Fourth Chicago Symphony Orchestra Sir Georg Solti International Conducting Competition, the 2021 Sphinx Medal of Excellence. She also got the third prize and ECHO Special Award of La Maestra Competition, and the 2020-2021 Solti Foundation US Career Assistance Award. Therefore, it is evident that her musical experience is extensive; she has led the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, performed with the New York Philharmonic and the Rochester Philharmonic. She also debuted with the Spanish National Orchestra and the Nürnberger Symphoniker.

Gonzalez says that music is a means to express everything that cannot be expressed in words. She expressed that she never doubted that music was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. And above all, she pointed out that her goal with this great opportunity that she has at Los Angeles Opera is to get closer to the entire Latin community and most importantly, to make the community more interested in classical music.

Some of her future presentations include her debut at the Dallas Opera – The Barber of Seville from Mar 19 to 27. In addition, the New York Philharmonic – Young People’s Concert: One Planet on May 14. And the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife on June 03.