Young, dynamic Basque conductor Unai Urrecho teaches at the University of Suwon. He is founder and Artistic Director of the Hwaseong Academy Festival Orchestra, and he is Principal Conductor of the Kwangsung Philharmonic Orchestra.

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Before deciding to embark upon a career as a conductor, Mr. Urrecho performed professionally as an orchestral musician for twenty years. During that time, he appeared with orchestras including the Boston Symphony, New World Symphony, Vermont Symphony, Sao Paulo Symphony, Daejeon Philharmonic, Bucheon Philharmonic, Bilbao Symphony, Basque Country Symphony, Barcelona Symphony, and Tenerife Symphony—performing under the direction of Maestros Kurt Masur, Seiji Ozawa, James Conlon, Sir Colin Davis, Robert Spano, Gilvert Varga, Hun-Joung Lim, Juanjo Mena, and Hans Graff, among others. His musical sensibility was also informed by sharing the stage with such soloists as Yo-Yo Ma, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Joshua Bell.

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Mr. Urrecho began his music education at a very early age in the Arrasate Musical Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Juan Arzamendi. After completing upper level studies at San Sebastian Conservatory with highest mention, Mr. Urrecho was awarded a full scholarship from the Guipuzcoa Government to study at Boston University, with Professors Scott Hartman and Ronald Barron. At Boston University, he was awarded a full scholarship and a graduate assistantship—and won the university concerto competition—before finishing his studies with departmental honors. As a student, Mr. Urrecho was a founding member of the Joven Orquesta de Euskadi, a member of the European Youth Orchestra, and a Fellow at the Spoleto and Tanglewood Music Festivals, in whose orchestras he had the opportunity to work and interact with conductors of the highest caliber. He completed his conducting studies under Maestro Sygmon Kawalla at Chopin University in Warsaw Poland, where he received a postgraduate diploma with the highest mention, and from which institution obtained his doctoral degree in opera and orchestral conducting.

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Mr. Urrecho has conducted performances with the Virtuoso Ensemble including Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale, and he appears as guest conductor with Sori Contemporary ensemble, along with other orchestras and ensembles in Asia, Europe, and Russia. An ardent proponent of Spanish and Basque orchestral music, Mr. Urrecho is equally sought after to lead performances of standard classical orchestral repertoire. Recently interviewed in Dance and Opera Magazine, he was lauded as Conductor of the Summer for his work at Jeju International Festival in South Korea, including that with festival soloists and renowned chamber ensemble, Spanish Brass.

 

He made conducting debuts recently with Bilbao Symphony Orchestra and Basque Country National Symphony Orchestra obtaining great positive reviews from the Spanish writers and newspapers “The Basque Country National Symphony was leaded by Unai Urrecho’s extraordinary technique solving gracefully all the difficulties that the music was bringing. Here we have a great Maestro for the future” – EMECE – (El DiarioVasco 2016-05-28). His intense conducting experience brought him to conduct Chun Cheon Philharmonic, Guygbuk Philharmonic, Millennium Symphony, Seongnam Philharmonic, Pohang Philharmonic and Saint Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra. For his 2016 season Mr. Urrecho will complete season with Kwangsung Philharmonic Orchestra and his appearances at Seoul Art Center.