About FIPOG
The Guadalajara Piano and Orchestra Festival (FIPOG) is a unique event in the Americas which gives the opportunity for pianists of all ages and nationalities to work intensively with orchestra and hone their skills with distinguished faculty.
The festival will take place in Guadalajara, Mexico, from June 22nd to July 3rd, 2024.
Throughout the festival, participants will prepare their chosen repertoire with the festival’s faculty and have four 20 minutes rehearsals with orchestra. All participants will be able to present one or two movements of their concerto of choice in two concerts at PALCCO Auditorium in Guadalajara.
From these concerts, three participants will be chosen by a jury panel to present their complete concerto in another event at Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara.
The concerts will be recorded (video and audio) by a professional team.
In case of necessity of visa for travelling and participation, applicants should inform themselves of the process at the nearest Mexican Embassy or Consulate. The festival is available to help in the process by providing invitation letters.
All participants in the festival will be given a diploma of participation at the end of the festival.
Rehearsals, lessons and practice time
All participants will be given a minimum amount of two hours of practice time per day.
Piano practising rooms will be made available in several places in Tlaquepaque, in order to be close to the partner accomodations and rehearsal venue.
All participants will take part in every scheduled rehearsal, being given 20 minutes of rehearsal per session.
Rehearsals and masterclasses will happen throughout the whole festival at one of the venues in PALCCO, in Guadalajara
Outstanding
Soloist Award
Given by faculty and jury panel
Outstanding Soloist Award will be given by faculty and jury panel to one of the participants of the concert gala at Teatro Degollado.
This award includes a professional return engagement with the West Mexico Symphony Orchestra during the following season.
Award recipients are responsible for travel expenses; hotel accomodations are provided by the orchestra for this award.
Selected participants will also be awarded a scholarship to participate in the Avila International Music Festival (Spain) and an invitation to take part of Ciclos de Lua Nova Concert Series's future season (Portugal).
Other prizes may be given at the discretion of the faculty and sponsors.
Teatro Degollado
Venues
PALCCO – Teatro José Pablo Moncayo
Museo Premio Nacional de Ceramica Pantaleón Panduro
Teatro Degollado
Teatro Degollado is one of the major concert venues in Guadalajara, located in the central plaza of the city. This neoclassical theater was inaugurated in 1866 and hosts an ecclectic concert season, from classical concerts and operas to cultural Mexican dances and music. With a seat capacity of 1027 spectators, it is a frequent concert stage of Orquesta Filarmónica de Tlaquepaque.
PALCCO – Teatro José Pablo Moncayo
PALCCO (Palacio de la Cultura y de la Comunicación), is a modern cultural venue of Guadalajara which houses all kinds of artistic activities. Having opened doors to the public in 2016, PALCCO consists of an imponent infrastructure of several venues, being Teatro José Pablo Moncayo the ideal for symphonic concerts, seating up to 1963 spectators.
Museo Premio Nacional de Ceramica Pantaleón Panduro
The Pantaleón Panduro Museum in Tlaquepaque was inaugurated in 1997 and houses several art works awarded at the Premio Nacional de Ceramica, its name honours famous artisan Don Pantaleón Panduro. It is at the chapel of this museum that Orquesta Filarmónica de Tlaquepaque regularly rehearses.
Faculty
Bernardo Santos
Portuguese pianist Bernardo Santos has been performing widely as a soloist and chamber musician, with performances ranging over more than twenty countries in venues
such as the Casa da Música, Convento de São Francisco, Palau de la Música Catalana, the Tonhalle Düsseldorf, National Concert Hall, Fairfield Halls in London, Sala São Paulo,
Sala Cecília Meireles, Teatro Degollado in Mexico,
among many others.
Diego Caetano
Hailed by the Italian newspaper, La Stampa, as "a gifted pianist with a brilliant technique and musicality," Brazilian-American pianist Diego Caetano has performed as a soloist and a chamber musician throughout the USA, Brazil, Chile, Europe, Asia, and Africa. He has been invited to appear at New York's Carnegie Hall, Yokohama's Philia Hall, Lisbon's Palácio da Foz, Rio de Janeiro's Sala Cecília Meireles, and London's Royal Albert Hall.
Michael Bulychev-Okser
Hailed by New York Times as “enticing and brilliant”,
Michael Bulychev-Okser is one of the most thought-after pianists of his generation. Critics and musicians praise Michael’s “impeccable piano technique” (Schlomo Mintz), “imaginative and intelligent style” (David Dubal),
“Elegance and grace the piano is destined to produce” (Cosmo Buono), “Sheer poetry and panoramic vision”
(Las Provincias, Valencia).
West Mexico Symphony Orchestra
Strengthening the social and cultural environments
The West Mexico Symphony Orchesta (former Tlaquepaque Philharmonic Orchestra) was officially founded by Maestro Alberto De Loza II in 2019 with the aim of providing a private and collaborative cultural organization for the entire metropolitan area of Guadalajara, being the resident orchestra of PALCCO and peforming in the remaining most renown venues in Guadalajara.
Since its creation, it has strengthened the social and cultural environments by creating cultural bridges between businessmen and chambers of commerce for the creation of classical music public, as well as cultural tourism in the whole region of Guadalajara.
The orchestra regularly collaborates with international musicians performing worldwide, both in concerts, conferences and masterclasses. Some of these artists include Otto Sauter (Trumpet - Germany), Teo Benson (Violin - USA), Bernardo Santos (Piano-Portugal), José Tulio Rondón (Cello - Venezuela), Nicholas Philips (Piano - USA), Li Harada Christine (Violin - China), Edgardo Castillo (Marimba- Mexico), Moises Cerros (Trumpet- Mexico), among others. Tlaquepaque Philharmonic Orchestra has also premiered works by national and international composers, such as Marco Guisto (Italy), Gori Cortes (Mexico), Alberto De Loza II (Mexico) and Luis Barroso (Spain).
Alberto De Loza II
Originally from Tlaquepaque, Alberto de Loza has been taught by great pedagogues such as
Maestros Leslie B. Dunner (Chicago College),
Fernando Lozano (Filarmónica 5 de Mayo),
Enrique Patrón de Rueda (Opera de Bellas Artes México), Fernando Ávila (Xalapa University)
and Francisco Orozco,
having participated in courses of Charles Gambetta
and Ovidiu Balan.
Rui Miguel Marques
Portuguese conductor Rui Miguel Marques has conducted the Kecskemet Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonietta Dresden, Orkester Ø, Berlin Sinfonietta, Hærens Musikkorps, Forsvarets Stabsmusikkorps, LCW Festival Orchestra, Atlantic Coast Orchestra and Alto Minho Youth Orchestra.
Since February 2024, Rui is also part of Dirigentforum Junior - Talent Norge and Dirigentløftet’s Elite Program for young conductors.
