Andres Lopera Music Director. Richmond Symphony Endowed Fund
Dynamic, imaginative, and deeply committed to his community, conductor Andrés Lopera enters his second season as Music Director of Indiana’s Richmond Symphony Orchestra. A trailblazing Latin American conductor in the US, Lopera has led prestigious orchestras across the Americas for over a decade.
For six consecutive seasons, Lopera served as Associate Conductor of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestras in Columbus Ohio. Furthermore, he has conducted performances with orchestras such as the Colorado Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Toledo Symphony, New World Symphony, and Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra, among others.
Lopera has also appeared in a number of summer festivals, including the inaugural year of New England Conservatory’s Summer Orchestra Institute in 2019. Other engagements include the Cabrillo Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, and the internationally renowned Orchestra of the Americas. He has also collaborated with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, covering concerts led by Gustavo Dudamel and Carlos Miguel Prieto.
Internationally, Lopera has conducted the Xalapa Symphony Orchestra, EAFIT Symphony Orchestra, and Colombia’s National Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he has fostered musical connections across Central and South America, collaborating with both professional and youth orchestras in Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Honduras.
In June 2012, Lopera was appointed Music Director of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony in Portland, OR, where he oversaw a program with more than 450 students, 12 ensembles, and 10 conducting staff. In recognition of his contributions to Portland, he received the Portland Monthly Award, Rising Star Award, and the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber Bravo Award. Additional honors include the Orgullo Colombiano Award and Egresados Que Inspiran from EAFIT University.
Born in Don Matias Antioquia, nestled in Colombia’s Andes Mountains, Lopera, the only musician in a family of seven, found his passion in music’s universal language. In his leisure time he enjoys hiking in nature and spending time with family.