Image by Adam Noya
Orlando Cela
For media inquiries, please contact Media Relations
As a conductor, Orlando Cela serves as the music director of the Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the Lowell Chamber Orchestra, which he also founded. For nine years, he was the music director of the North Carolina Governor’s School. He has also guest conducted the Manchester Symphony Orchestra, the London Classical Soloists, the Marquette Symphony Orchestra, Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble, Sound Icon, and others. He created the Ningbo Symphony Orchestra during his year as visiting professor at Ningbo University in China. Cela has received the American Prize for conducting youth and community orchestras, the Vytautas Marijosius Prize for orchestral programming, and the Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for excellence in the performance of American music. His interpretation of Beethoven’s Symphonies 7 and 8 earned him a second prize in the London Classical Soloists Conducting competition.
A dedicated music educator, Cela is known for his dynamic workshops and lecture demonstrations. Popular and effective as a guest lecturer and clinician, he has presented sessions at Tulane University, UC Berkeley, and Brandeis University, as well as at the Central Conservatory of Music in China, the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart in Germany, and the Charlotte New Music Festival in North Carolina.
- Music director of the Lowell Chamber Orchestra and Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra, and founder of the Lowell Chamber Orchestra
- Instruments include classical flute, Chinese dizi (笛子), and Venezuelan cuatro
- Leader of the orchestra of the Governor’s School of North Carolina and the Zephyr Flute Quartet
- Member of Music at Eden's Edge and Juventas New Music Ensemble
- Performances with Salvatore Sciarrino, Paula Robison, Samir Chatterjee, John Gibbons, and Hu Jianbing
- Performances include Rewin by Anna Clyne (North Carolina premiere), Flying Banner by Liza Lim (American premiere), Estampas Mexicanas by José Elizondo (world premiere), World Enough by Alwynne Pritchard (American premiere), and The Old Harp by Maxwell Dulaney (world premiere), among others
- Recordings include Project Extended (FlyNote Productions, 2013), New Lullaby (Six String Sounds, 2010), The Complete Boismortier Concerti, op. 15 (2010), World Winds, (Willow Flute Ensemble, 2009) , and Aflame in Flight (Centaur Records, 2005), among others
- Guest lecturer at the Central Conservatory of Music (Beijing, China); Tulane University (New Orleans, Louisiana); University of California, Berkeley; Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart (Germany); and DePauw University (Greencastle, Indiana)
- Recipient of Barlow Endowment LDS Commission in conjunction with Peter McMurray (2008)
- Classes with Glenn Michael Egner, Anne Reynolds, and Paula Robison
- Producer, Best Original Series, Arlington Community Media, Inc. (2018)
- Third place in the American Prize, Conducting, Community Orchestras Division (2018)
- Recipient of second prize, London Classical Soloists Conducting Competition (2017)
- Recipient of second place in the American Prize, Ernst Bacon Memorial Award in Excellence of Performance of American Music, Youth Division (2016)
- Recipient of the American Prize, Orchestra Conducting, Youth Division (2016)
- Recipient of the American Prize, Orchestral Programming, Maestro Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award, Youth Orchestra Division (2016)
-
School NameThe New England Conservatory of MusicState or ProvinceMassachusettsDegreeMaster of Music (M.M.)Field of StudyOrchestral ConductingDate Degree Received
-
School NameThe New England Conservatory of MusicState or ProvinceMassachusettsDegreeMaster of Music (M.M.)Field of StudyFlute PerformanceDate Degree Received
-
School NameDePauw UniversityState or ProvinceIndianaDegreeBachelor of Arts (B.A.)Field of StudyFlute PerformanceDate Degree Received