San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory


Welcome New Opus Project Conductor Maestro Mario Miragliotta

Publication date: 
 January 6, 2014
This month we interviewed Maestro Mario Miragliotta, SDYS' most recent addition to the Community Opus Project team. An experienced and celebrated conductor, Mr. Miragliotta has performed and conducted in Brazil, Spain and all over the United States. As a conductor, he has directed youth groups as well as professional ensembles throughout Southern California. He was also a Guest Conductor for the Aspen Festival Orchestra in 2005. Maestro Miragliotta has degrees from USC, Yale and Universidade Estadual Paulista, Brazil. 

How have you enjoyed your first couple of months teaching and conducting our Opus students?
 
It has been very rewarding for me to get to know each student a little better and to hear them playing their instruments... it is just sweet for me to hear a child play. They have been responding well and have been making steady progress. This is all I care about: if they make progress that means that we are working in the right direction. I believe that any child, I mean any child, has the potential to play an orchestral instrument well if given the proper instruction. This is were my job carries a big responsibility which I take very seriously. 
 
You've conducted and taught at many orchestras and organizations across the country and the world, what led you to join SDYS' Opus Project?
 
When I read that the Opus project catered to young students from financially challenged families, it 'clicked' with me because this is how I started. I auditioned to a city sponsored school so that I could have free viola lessons. In addition, the school also provided me, free of charge, with my first viola. This is what Opus does, it allows students who would otherwise not be able to afford to learn an orchestral instrument a chance to do so, and to do it well. Now... answering your question, Opus is an opportunity for me to give back what I was given in the past when I started: "an experience which changed my life forever."
 
What do you have planned for the Opus students in 2014? 
 
I will teach them what it is like to be an artist; what it is like to perform as an artist. Of course this is a very high goal and there are quite a few technical issues which will need to be addressed in order to get there. However, after only four weeks of hard work, they have already shown results when they performed at the end of the year concert (at Castle Park High), clearly displaying a certain musical maturity which was immediately appreciated by the audience. I was really happy with the performance and can't wait to tell them when we start again next week.
 
Have you ever worked with any other El Sistema inspired programs? 
 
No, I have not, however, I read about its benefits and how it is spreading around the world. This is a good thing for all of us, students, their families, the audience, communities, and the society in general. This is art. It is sad to grow old and have no knowledge or appreciation for the arts. Opus is an opportunity for all of us to not only better our youth, but to educate our communities by giving them an chance to enjoy fine arts. This should not be a privilege of the higher classes but a right of any human being.
 
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