Diego Barbosa-Vásquez

Biography

Diego Barbosa-Vásquez is an opera, orchestra and ballet conductor and scholar.

Profiled by Forbes as “Natural-Born Leader,” Barbosa-Vásquez is general director of the Performing Arts Laboratory (Bloomington, Indiana), music and artistic director of the Bloomington Opera Camp™ (Bloomington, Indiana) and recently appointed as conductor of the Syracuse University Symphony, director of orchestral activities and conducting faculty at the VPA Setnor School of Music - Syracuse University (Syracuse, New York). The International Press references him as a “Musical Genius” and “synonymous of energy, knowledge, and confidence of high artistic quality.” Due to his outstanding international career, Barbosa-Vásquez was named by ProColombia as ambassador of Colombia Country Brand in 2017, and his major scholarly/practical contributions to the international performing arts field are starting to be recognized globally.

Also, the Colombian maestro has been assistant, cover and fellow conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (2023) as cover/assistant conductor, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra as IU conducting fellow (2022-2023), Cincinnati Symphony and May Festival (Cincinnati, Ohio) as Juanjo Mena apprentice (2021, 2023), Nashville Symphony Orchestra as Giancarlo Guerrero apprentice (2022), Indiana University Opera and Ballet Theater and IU Symphonies (Bloomington, Indiana) (2019 - 2023) as assistant and cover conductor, APU Symphony Orchestra (California) (2017-2018) and APU Opera Theater (California) (2017-2018).

Barbosa-Vásquez was music and artistic director of the Collaborative Arts Opera Summer Camp (Los Angeles), music director of the World Music Symphony Orchestra in California, music and artistic director of Huila Philharmonic, chief conductor of E&P® Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of Huila Conservatory and Rock Symphony Orchestra. Also, Barbosa-Vásquez was chief conductor of E&P Choirs of Cajicá, Colina and Aparecida; choral conductor at “Tocar y Luchar Cafam-Colombia” and head of the Virrey Solís-E&P Conservatory.

Guest conductor for the 70th anniversary of UNICEF concert, the Colombian maestro has been winning international recognition since conducting in El Salvador (2014), his 1st International Opera Conductors Competition in Belgium (Opera Royal de Wallonie) (2017) and the III Nino Rota International Conducting Competition in Italy (2018), in last both cases representing Latin America. Barbosa-Vásquez has been principal guest conductor of the National Youth Symphony Orchestra of El Salvador (El Salvador) (2014-2020), guest conductor Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra (Colorado) (2025), guest conductor of the Wabash Valley Youth Symphony (Indiana) (2018), OCSA Symphony Orchestra (California) (2018), Caldas Symphony Orchestra (Caldas, Colombia) (2014), and choir and founding orchestra of Esperanza Azteca Program (Puebla, México) (2013).

As a performer, Barbosa-Vásquez was principal viola at Caldas Symphony Orchestra, Juan N. Corpas Symphony Orchestra, Colombia Joven Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Acordanza, Orchestra of the “Art and Opera for All Foundation,” Unimúsica Symphony Orchestra, Bogotá Symphony Orchestra FOSBO, and scholarship holder and co-founder member of the Filarmónica Joven de Colombia (FJC). Also, with only 17 years, was invited to play with the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia as Viola Youth outstanding talent.

Furthermore Barbosa-Vasquez is an outstanding scholar recognized for his major contributions to the orchestra, opera and performance arts field. He has been collaborating with the prestigious Ostrom Workshop (economic Nobel Prize winners scholars) since 2021 as research awardee (2021-2023) and affiliated scholar (2023-present). As general director of the Performing Arts Laboratory, he leads advanced international practical research in performing arts sustainability. In addition, he collaborates with different performing arts leaders and multiple minds and experts in different fields, to clarify the clues and strategies to secure the classical performing arts (opera, orchestra and ballet) sustainability in the mid, and long-term from the local, regional, national and international perspectives.

Barbosa-Vasquez is regularly being invited at prestigious conferences including being a panelist in the prestigious Closing Plenary of the League of American Orchestras 2023 Conference in Pittsburgh for his major contributions to the field, a special guest lecturer at the 11th European Orchestra Festival of (EOFed) and WFAO General Assembly (2018 - Norway), and a special guest lecturer at the WFAO General Assembly (2019 - Singapore) also representing Latin America. He is also a professional member (as an opera, orchestra and ballet conductor) of the League of American Orchestras and Opera America.

Barbosa-Vasquez holds a doctor in music degree (graduating with honors) with major in opera, orchestra and ballet conducting and minors in music theory and arts administration from the prestigious Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University. Graduated with special commendation for his “exemplary performance [and] the depth of [his] knowledge and [his] ability to draw from it freely.” There he was a full scholarship holder of Graduate Tuition Award (2019-2023), the distinguished Jacobs School of Music Artistic Excellence Award (2019-2023), and research awardee of the Ostrom Workshop (2021-2023). In addition, his doctoral dissertation “Models for the Creation and Leadership of Opera Camps” has been received multiple international awards. Not only for his groundbreaking research of framing arts and opera as cultural commons to secure its artistic, financial, social and ecological sustainability; but also for the outstanding level of applicability to multiple organizations, products and services at the international performing arts fields.

Barbosa-Vasquez also holds an M.M. (master in music degree - graduated with honors) in opera and orchestra conducting at Azusa Pacific University (California) as a recipient of a full assistantship and John Simons scholarship. There he worked as assistant conductor of APU Symphony Orchestra, APU Opera Theater and guest conductor of the Studio Orchestra and APU Musical Theater Company. And holds a maestro in music degree (bachelor) from Juan N. Corpas University Music School (Bogotá D.C., Colombia) graduated with honors with major in conducting (orchestra, choir and opera), and minors in viola and chamber music.

Furthermore, with more than 20 years of experience in the arts administration world, in addition to leading multiple organizations, he holds an “associate degree” (executive certificate) from the Global Leaders Program of OA (Orchestra of the Americas) in orchestra, artistic and musical organizations administration.

His principal conducting mentors are Arthur Fagen, Thomas Wilkins and Marzio Conti (from Indiana University), Christopher Russell (from Azusa Pacific University), Jorge Alejandro Salazar (from Corpas University - Colombia), and JuanJo Mena.

Education

• D.Mus., Indiana University
• M.Mus., Azusa Pacific University
• Maestro in Music (B.M.), Juan N. Corpas University Music School

Areas of Expertise

Opera, orchestra and ballet conducting; orchestral and operatic artistic leadership; performing arts sustainability; arts administration and cultural governance; performing arts as cultural commons; conducting pedagogy and higher education