Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez

Spanish conductor and composer (born 1949)
the Spanish conductor

Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez (born 1949 in Granada, Spain) is a Spanish conductor and composer. With Germanic education, he is known for his ability not to need a score when conducting and for his rigour when he interprets works always respecting the composers' intentions.

Born within a family of musicians, his father was a professor in the Band of Granada and his mother a pianist. Since childhood he was very clear that he wanted to become a conductor. "I started to study music at the age of four, by my own will and against my parent's will." At the age of five he was able to pass an examination at the Victoria Eugenia Music Conservatory of Granada and at the age of seven in 1957, he climbed to the podium and did not only steadily conduct the professors of the Band, but also corrected some errors made by the transcriber in the score. 1964 he moved to Madrid and he got the First Class Diploma and the Price of the Conservatory at the final course.

His debut as conductor is dated at Sankt Pölten near Vienna, 1973 and then he conducted in Lucerne and Berlin, where he conducted “Fidelio” by Beethoven. In Spain he made his debut 1975 at the International Music and Dance Festival in Granada. in which he was distinguished later by becoming permanent guest conductor, and Chief Conductor of the Spanish Radio Television Symphony Orchestra (RTVE) (1984 1987), In 1987 he announced his intention to leave this orchestra as several improvements of the musician's conditions were not fulfilled, such as a higher remuneration and a better image. Chief Conductor or the Teatro de la Zarzuela (1985 1991), General Music Director of the City of Mannheim (1990 1993) Musical and Artistic Director of the New Finnish National Opera Helsinki (1993 1996), Chief Conductor of the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra (1992 2000), orchestra which has nominated him as Honorary Director, Chief Conductor of the Orquesta de Valencia (1997 2004), in which he continues being guest conductor, General Music Director of the Theatre of Bern (2000 2004),

During his career he has conducted the most outstanding international orchestras in Europe, USA and in the Far East, as well as most of the Spanish Orchestras. Sinfonía del Descubrimiento (Symphony of the Discovery) (1992) with occasion of the 500th. Anniversary of the Discovery of America, Five songs on Poems by Alonso Gamo (1996) for soprano and orchestra, “Atallah”, his only opera until now, “Letters from a lover” work for baritone and symphony orchestra dedicated to his wife, Alessandra,</blockquote>

As a conductor his special interest is, above all, reproducing the composer’s intentions and he believes it essential that a conductor must do this as faithfully as possible without adding or eliminating anything from the original score. <blockquote>"In the scores is written everything what we have to know, without adding or removing anything." he is designated 'Citizen of Granada of the 20th Century' by the Town Hall of Granada, his home city, 1995 King Juan Carlos I has awarded him with the Encomienda de Número of the Order of Civil Merit. The Ministry of Culture of the State of Bavaria has awarded him with the special prize “ The Lion of Bavaria” for his work leading the Young Orchestra of the Easter Festival in Bayreuth. He is a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Granada and a Member of Honour in different musical associations in Spain and Europe, as well as being awarded gold or silver medals of various European cities.