From Colombia, Lina González-Granados

Praised for her “rich, heartfelt orchestral sound” (Chicago Sun-Times), “rhythmic vitality” (San Francisco Chronicle) and “raw power” (Los Angeles Times), Lina González-Granados has distinguished herself nationally and internationally as a singularly talented young conductor. Her powerful interpretations of the symphonic and operatic repertoire, as well as her dedication to highlighting new and unknown works by Latin-American composers, have earned her international recognition, most recently as the recipient of the 2021 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, the Third Prize and ECHO Special Award (European Concert Hall Organization) of La Maestra Competition, as well as the 2020 and 2021 Solti Foundation US Career Assistance Award.

After winning the fourth Chicago Symphony Orchestra Sir Georg Solti International Conducting Competition, González-Granados was named the new Solti Conducting Apprentice under Maestro Riccardo Muti, from February 2020 through June 2023. Last season, she was also appointed resident conductor by the LA Opera, a post she will hold thru June 2025, opening this season with a production of Lucia de Lammermoor. She has also held positions as Conducting Fellow of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Seattle Symphony.

Muti's guidance has been immeasurable. “There’s nothing that I am more grateful for than seeing him, for the learning experience,” she said.

Even more than filling in for Muti on two occasions, she cherishes all the times she spent watching him in rehearsal, as she perused her copy of the score.  

“He’s able to create colors that nobody does and knows where the intricacies and the magic lie,” she said, with an evident tone of reverence. “He respects the score to the point of being obsessively respectful of the composer, but he also knows, for example, if some things can be less than what’s written. And he knows the whole, inside and out.” 

Her 2022-23 season brought her back to the Seattle Symphony, along with highly-anticipated debuts with the Orchestre Metropolitain, NACO, Indianapolis Symphony, Sarasota Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, Philadelphia Opera, Borusan Philharmonic, Aalborg Symphony, Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia, as well as performances at Caramoor and Grafenegg Festivals.

Born and raised in Cali, Colombia, González-Granados made her conducting debut in 2008 with the Youth Orchestra of Bellas Artes. She holds a master’s degree in conducting with Charles Peltz, a graduate diploma in choral conducting from New England Conservatory with Erica Washburn, and a doctor of musical arts in Orchestral Conducting from Boston University. Her principal mentors include Riccardo Muti, Marin Alsop, Bernard Haitink, Bramwell Tovey and Yannick Nézet-Séguin.