Sonia Marie De León de Vega
Sonia Marie De León de Vega | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 16, 1964[ Latin American |
| Occupation(s) | Orchestral conductor |
| Website | deleondevega |
Sonia Marie De León de Vega (born October 16, 1964) is an American orchestral conductor. She teaches at Occidental College in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles,[2] and is conductor of the Los Angeles Santa Cecilia Orchestra, which she founded in 1992.[1]
Early life and career
De León was born in
In 1986 De León was invited to conduct a Papal Mass at St. Peter's, in the Vatican City in Rome; she was the second person, and the first woman, to receive such an invitation.[1] She worked as a conductor of local opera companies, and as a guest conductor in Italy and Mexico.[4]
Santa Cecilia Orchestra
De León started the Santa Cecilia Orchestra in 1992, using money of her own. Only 12 people attended the orchestra's first concert.[5] The orchestra now numbers 85 paid professional performers.[4] It performs both mainstream classical repertoire and works by Latin American composers such as Daniel Catán and Silvestre Revueltas.[6][7] Its two-year music education program, Discovering Music, was started in 1998 and is currently offered in 16 elementary schools throughout Los Angeles.[8]
References
- ^ OCLC 232533905. Online version retrieved 26 June 2014.
- ^ Faculty: Sonia De Leon de Vega. Occidental College. Accessed June 2014.
- ^ Del Barco, Mandalit (May 27, 2014). "How Do You Get Latino Kids Into Classical Music? Bring The Parents". NPR. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Pasles, Chris (October 12, 2007). "Taking a Stand to Bring Music to the Community". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Holston, Mark. "Power, Charm and Elegance". Latina Style Magazine.
- ^ Durán, Agustín (June 15, 2011). "Santa Cecilia Symphony Orchestra Brings Classical Mexican Music to Los Angeles". LA Beez.
- ^ Williams, Brian. "Making a Difference: Bringing classical music back to public schools". NBC.
- ISBN 978-0-7432-5373-4.