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Marlene Urbay
Maestro Marlene Urbay was born in Havana, Cuba; she is the founder and music director of the Florida Chamber Orchestra (1995) and former Music Director of the National Ballet of Cuba (1982-1991). After immigrating to the United States in 1991, Maestro Urbay was Assistant Conductor of the University of Miami Symphony Orchestra.

Biography
Marlene Urbay completed elementary school at the Alejandro Garcia Caturla Conservatory in Havana and continued studying at Cuba’s National School of the Arts, graduating in 1980 specializing in piano and choral conducting. In 1980, Urbay entered the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, earning a degree in 1985 with exceptional high honors in orchestral conducting.

In 1987, Urbay founded the Chamber Orchestra of the Great Theatre of Havana to rave national and international reviews. She developed seasonal concerts leading the Chamber Orchestra on a widely acclaimed 35-city tour of Italy in 1990.

Urbay has been guest conductor at the Philharmonic Orchestra of Lima, Perú, Symphony Orchestra of Mexico D.F., Symphony Orchestra of Puerto Rico, Philharmonic Orchestra of Tokyo and Osaka, Japan; Symphony Orchestra Betica of Sevilla, Symphony Orchestra of Silecia, Poland, Teatro de la Zarzuela, Liceo de Barcelona, and all the symphony orchestras in Cuba. After immigrating to the United States in 1991, studied at the Manhattan School of Music and earned a Master’s Degree in orchestral conducting from the University Of Miami School Of Music in 1996. She was “Guest Director” with the National Dance Company in Mexico, D.F. at the famous “Bellas Artes” theatre from 2004 to 2007. In October 2012, she was invited to conduct the orchestra at the prestigious XII Violin’s Festival Orchestra, Lima Peru. In December 2011 she was invited to conduct the Nutcracker season with Ballet Concerto of Puerto Rico and she recently conducted the Nutcracker season at San Jose Ballet, California with the Silicon Valley Symphony Orchestra.

Marlene Urbay is the only Latin American woman conductor to earn a special award at Poland’s prestigious G. Fitelberg competition for international orchestra conductors and the first Cuban conductor awarded at an international competition. Maestro Marlene Urbay has received numerous accolades including recognition by The National Association of Professional Women (2009), Yahoo Hispanic (2008) “Hispana Triunfadora” in Mosaico Hispano, Pregones magazine for the development of Cuban music. (2003), “Asociación de Mujeres Cubanas” (2003) “Hispana Triunfadora, GEMS TV Women of the Year in the Music category (1999), First Annual Award. Miami, ACCA (1996) for the best performance of the year in the category of chamber music.

In 2000, Ms. Urbay released her first CD, “Memories of Cuba” and in 2005, “Echale Salsita.” Maestro Marlene Urbay commands an extensive repertory of different genres, including symphonic and chamber music, ballet, opera, zarzuela, operetta and musical comedy.

Marlene Urbay has been a member of the faculty at Miami-Dade Community College and currently leads the Music Department, at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School and at Conchita Espinosa Academy of the Arts in Miami, FL.