Conductor and violinist Alejandro Gómez Guillén is known for an energetic and thoughtful approach to music-making, with a focus on performances that are compelling and educational. He has appeared with orchestras across the United States and abroad, among them Phoenix Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic, Virginia Symphony, Illinois Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, and Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá. He has also performed at the Oregon Bach Festival and collaborated with conductors such as Robert Spano, Tito Muñoz, and Ankush Kumar Bahl.

Alejandro previously served as Assistant Conductor of Omaha Symphony, where he participated in the premiere of Andy Akiho’s Grammy-nominated Sculptures. He was also Artistic Director of the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, conducting the Indiana premiere of Florence Price’s Symphony No. 4. As Associate Conductor of Fort Worth Symphony, he led community, pops, and educational performances and collaborated with artists including Time for Three and mezzo-soprano Cecilia Duarte.

He is also Music Director of Sphere, a Colorado-based string collective known for adventurous programming across genres and eras, including a recent recording featuring music by Grammy-nominated composer Carter Pann. He currently serves as Director of Orchestras at Arizona State University, where he leads one of the nation’s largest collegiate orchestral programs and directs a dynamic performance program for emerging artists. Recent performances there include the Arizona collegiate premiere of William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony.

Born in Colombia and a proud U.S. citizen, Gómez Guillén studied violin and conducting at Texas Christian University and the University of Colorado Boulder. Away from the podium, he enjoys trail running, singing, and sharing music with family and friends. @alejandromusick

Violinist Jeff Thayer holds the Deborah Pate and John Forrest Concertmaster Chair of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Thayer is also a founding member of the Camera Lucida chamber music ensemble, formerly in residence at UCSD’s Conrad Prebys Music Center. Previous positions include assistant concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, associate concertmaster of the North Carolina Symphony and concertmaster of the Canton (OH) Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Thayer was also formerly on the violin faculty of the Music Academy of the West where he also served as concertmaster for 13 years. He is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Eastman School of Music and The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division. His teachers include Zvi Zeitlin, Donald Weilerstein, Dorothy DeLay and William Preucil.

A native of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Mr. Thayer began violin lessons with his mother at the age of three. Festivals include Interlochen, the Pierre Monteux Festival, Astoria Music Festival, the National Orchestral Institute, the National Youth Symphony, the Grand Teton Music Festival, Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla SummerFest, Mainly Mozart Festival (San Diego), Festival der Zukunft and the Tibor Varga Festival (Switzerland).

Read about our Artistic Director and San Diego Civic Organist, Raúl Prieto Ramírez here.

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Organ Concerto in F Major, Hob. XVIII No.7
I. Moderato
II. Adagio
III. Allegro

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Piano Concerto No.1 in E-flat Major, S.124
(piano part transcribed for Organ by Raúl Prieto Ramírez)
I. Allegro maestoso
II. Quasi Adagio
III. Allegretto vivace. Allegro animato
IV. Allegro marziale animato

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Totentanz (Danse macabre), S.126/2
paraphrase on the “Dies Irae” for piano and orchestra