Symphony assistant conductor to lead Lincoln Theatre concert

Some music students get to choose their instrument; others are not so lucky.

At about age 12, future conductor Andres Lopera enrolled in a music program in his native Colombia. There, he was given a trombone.

“That was my first instrument,” said Lopera, now 34. “It kind of came to me. My teacher was like: ‘We have a trombone — take it or leave it.’”

The choice of instrument was not his, but, in the long run, it proved to be inspired.

“It was a great introduction for me to music,” Lopera said. “With that, I could play not only classical but also ... jazz, every kind of salsa, merengue, all of these different types of music from my country.”

Now an accomplished conductor who has worked with orchestras in Colorado and Oregon, Lopera will make the latest stop on his musical odyssey in central Ohio.

On Thursday, Lopera will lead the Columbus Symphony in a concert in the Lincoln Theatre — his first as the organization’s new assistant conductor.

The program is part of the symphony’s “Summer Night Music” series, which features performances beyond the orchestra’s usual venues of the Ohio and Southern theatres. Earlier concerts took place at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Dublin and the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in the Short North; the full symphony had not previously performed in either spot.

“We want to reach out to every kind of audience,” Lopera said. “People need to get acquainted with orchestral music.”

Lopera was educated at the EAFIT University in Colombia and the University of Texas-Austin, where he studied both trombone and conducting. In 2010, he entered the New England Conservatory to focus on a career in conducting.

“That just changed basically the entire course from Andres Lopera, the new assistant conductor of the Columbus Symphony, will lead a concert tonight. Who: Columbus Symphony What: “Summer Night Music” Where: Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St. Contact: 614-469-0939; 1-800745-3000, www.ticketmaster. com Showtime: 7:30 p.m. Thursday Tickets: $20

being an instrumentalist,” Lopera said.

After his graduation from the conservatory in 2012, Lopera was employed as a conductor at the Metropolitan Youth Symphony in Portland, Oregon, and the Colorado Symphony in Denver.

Near the end of his threeyear contract in Colorado, Lopera sought a new gig. He said he was drawn to apply to the Columbus Symphony

because of the presence of Music Director Rossen Milanov.

“I’m very excited about working with Rossen,” said Lopera, who will relocate from Denver to Columbus. “He’s such a great musician.”

Lopera’s duties will include conducting family concerts, being available as a “cover conductor” in case the maestro is ill or unavailable and running the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra.

Audiences can expect Lopera to promote the sounds of Latin America, but he looks at music in universal terms.

“More than a conductor from a specific country, I love being human,” he said.

Thursday’s concert will highlight a variety of traditions: American composers

Samuel Barber and Aaron Copland will be represented, as will European masters Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johannes Brahms.

The program will feature 11 short pieces or excerpts, none longer than about eight minutes, and each “very approachable,” Lopera said.

“(The) overture to ‘Marriage of Figaro’ is nice and short,” Lopera said of the work by Mozart. “‘The Hebrides’ overture is Mendelssohn, and the way he writes for strings is so beautiful.”

The goal, Lopera said, is for concertgoers to feel at ease.

“Just go, listen to the music,” he said, “make up your own story, live through the sounds that we’re going to give you.”