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Musical Director
HECTOR SALAZAR received his Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University (CSU) Dominguez Hills where he studied conducting with Frances Steiner. He earned his Master of Arts Degree from CSU, Long Beach and studied conducting with Larry Curtis and Rubin Gurevich. Currently Mr. Salazar is the assistant conductor of the Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay and has recently taken the baton of the Carson-Dominguez Hills Symphony Orchestra and is Music Director for the Music Ensemble of Los Angeles.
Mr. Salazar has conducted premieres of Kurt Weill’s Marie Galante; Benjamin Lees’ Labyrinths; Douglass Fake’s Symphonic Episode (world premiere and dedicated to Mr. Salazar) and in 1992 gave the West Coast premiere of Claude Debussy’s Suite bergamasque with the Carson/ Dominguez Hills Symphony Orchestra. The Los Angeles Times said that Mr. Salazar “reveals a fluid and clear baton technique and an intelligent sensibility.”
Mr. Salazar’s film credits include The Big Brass Ring, The Apostate and The Sisters composed by Thomas Morse. He has worked with such film composers as Norman “Buddy” Baker, Lee Holdridge, Mauro Bruno and Michael Kamen (Robin Hood Prince of Thieves).
Familiar with musical theatre, he has conducted over twenty-five musicals and operetta’s including: Guys & Dolls, Chicago, Sweet Charity, Into The Woods, Once On This Island, West Side Story, Damn Yankees, Annie, The Fantasticks, Once Upon A Mattress, Hair (with John Corbett), A Chorus Line, The Pirates of Penzance, Man of La Mancha, Urinetown, Oliver, Sweeney Todd, Cabaret and Crazy for You for Downey Civic Light Opera. Mr. Salazar also conducted the highly acclaimed production of Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera as part of the Kurt Weill Centennial Celebration in 2000. His summer, 2007 direction of West Side Story for Torrance Theatre Company received high critical acclaim. Hector recently conducted Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale for El Camino College’s Resident Artist Series and in spring.
On November 2, 2008 Mr. Salazar conducted the Rio Hondo Symphony as one of the four guest conductors auditioning for the permanent conductor’s post in a program of Brahms, Wagner (with renowned soprano Erin Wood) and Carl Reinecke (Symphony No. 3). On February 7, 2009 Maestro Salazar conducted the Carson-Dominguez Hills Symphony Orchestra in the world premiere of Philip Westin’s narrated children’s work Timothy and the Magic Garden* with Karen Sharp, radio personality and host of "Lovesongs on the Coast" on KOST 103.5. In March 2009 he completed a highly acclaimed production of Sondheim's Sweeney Todd and will open Sondheim's Company on May 1 at Cerritos College in Norwalk, California.
Mr. Salazar has also enjoyed working with Opera Pacific in Costa Mesa, California in such productions as Der Rosenkavalier, Dead Man Walking, Salome, Carmen and conducted the premiere of Hector Armienta’s River of Women.
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