User:ScholarBrazil/sandbox/Dario Sotelo

Dario Sotelo graduated in piano, violin, and viola from the Conservatoire of Tatuí, the most important music school in Latin America. He received his master's degree in orchestral conducting from the City University in London, as a student of Ezra Rachlin, one of Fritz Reiner's disciples.

After two years in London (1991–1992), he was invited to take over the conducting of the Brazilian Wind Orchestra and establish the instrumental conducting course at the Conservatoire of Tatuí. His students have become references in their regions and even abroad, such as Giovani Briguente, the first Brazilian to earn a doctoral degree in conducting from the University of Michigan—institution internationally known for its wind band tradition. Michael Haithcock, University of Michigan director of bands, invited Dario Sotelo to give a lecture on Latin American Wind Band Music. The lecture was given in April 2018. He was the coordinator of the String Department of the Conservatoire of Tatuí, restructuring the programs of the string instrument courses, integrating them with chamber and orchestra musical activities at similar levels. He created and established youth orchestras in Tatuí, Belo Horizonte, and São Paulo. Through the Conservatoire of Tatuí, he made several commissions and world premieres to Brazilian composers, such as “A Peste e o Intrigante” by Mario Ficarelli, “Cantata de Natal” by Ernest Mahler, and “Sonho de Uma Noite de Verão” by Edson Beltrami. In 1998 Dario Sotelo became the conductor of the recently created Orquestra Sinfônica Paulista of the Conservatoire of Tatuí, a group he conducted until 2003.

As a guest clinician and conductor, he has been participating in many international activities for decades, including the Brazilian Music Festival in Wattwill (Switzerland), recordings for the Hungarian State Radio, tours in the United States and Spain. He also served as conductor and speaker at the Minnesota State Convention in Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Duluth University (USA), University of St. Thomas (MN), and Berklee College of Music in Boston. Also as a conductor, he has been active in several other countries around the world, such as Hungary, Australia, Germany, England, Spain, Portugal, South Africa, Colombia, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Argentina, and Taiwan. In Brazil, he performs in cities such as Curitiba, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Blumenau, Caxias do Sul, Porto Alegre, and in important festivals such as Campos do Jordão Winter Festival, São João Del Rei, Curitiba, Sesc-Pelotas Festival (Rio Grande do Sul), and Divinópolis Winter Festival (Minas Gerais).

Maestro Sotelo established the Ibero-American Conference of Composers, Arrangers and Conductors of Symphonic Band in Tatuí and was the executive and artistic director in 2002 and 2004, and General Secretary of the IV Congreso Ibero Americano de Compositores, Arragladores y Directores de Banda Sinfónica y Conjuntos de Vientos, coordinating the event in the city of Tenerife (Spain) in 2008. In 2013, he was General Secretary of the V Ibero-American Congress in the City of Lliria (Spain).

Since 1995, he had the opportunity to record seven CDs with the Brazilian Wind Orchestra of the Conservatoire of Tatuí and the Symphonic Orchestra of the Conservatoire of Tatuí, featuring works by several Brazilian composers. The last CD was recorded in 2012, celebrating 20 years of existence of the Brazilian Wind Orchestra. With the same ensemble he conducted 136 premieres of Brazilian composers and 98 Brazilian premieres of international composers over his almost 30 years as the leader of the ensemble. He wrote several shows for children and young people, including “Portraits”, “Villa-Lobos Meets Guarnieri”, “The Royal Family Comes to Brazil”, “Villa-Lobos and Momoprecoce”, “Children’s Dream”, “The Stories of Petrushka”,“ The Tango and Its Stories ”,“ The Stories of Tião” and “ Mambos, Boleros and Chá-Chá-chás.” For the 100th anniversary of Igor Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring," he created and directed the Stravinsky Project with original works for symphonic winds influenced by the piece as well as concerts dedicated to a complete transcription of the great ballet.

In July 2011 he was the guest conductor of the World Wind Orchestra at the 15th WASBE International Conference in Taiwan. In 2014, he organized, coordinated, and directed the 2nd National Symphonic Band Conducting Seminar, the Band Composition Week, the Tatuí Winter Festival “Curso de Férias,” and the National Band Composition Contest.

Maestro Sotelo is often a guest conductor of the Sinfônica Municipal de Madrid—one of the most important wind bands in the world—and also collaborates with publications, such as the series “Teaching Music Through Performance in Band" (GIA) with the chapter about Danzon no.2 by Arturo Márquez.

In 2015, 2016, and 2017, he again conceived and directed the National Wind Band Conducting Seminar, now in its 3rd, 4th, and 5th editions, receiving more than 250 conductors from several Brazilian states.

Maestro Sotelo is the first Latin American president of WASBE (World Association of Symphonic Band and Ensembles). He organized and coordinated the WASBE International Conference in the city of Buñol (Spain) in 2019.

Maestro Sotelo retired as the conductor of the Brazilian Wind Orchestra of the Conservatoire of Tatuí and as conducting teacher of the same institution in 2018. Prior to his retirement, he was invited to direct the Symphonic Band of the São Paulo Municipal School of Music, position he currently holds along with his busy national and international schedule as guest conductor and speaker. Dario Sotelo is known around the world as the ambassador of Latin American wind band music.

More information about Dario Sotelo's career as well as his contact information can be found on www.dariosotelo.com.br