Recognised as a Classic FM 2025 Rising Star, José Salazar is a dynamic young conductor with extensive experience and a flair for programming. A Dudamel Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the 2025/26 season, José made his podium debut with the orchestra at Walt Disney Concert Hall in March 2026, returning in August for his Hollywood Bowl debut, where he conducted alongside Gustavo Dudamel and prominent guest artists including Coldplay’s Chris Martin in a UNICEF fundraising concert supporting the Venezuela earthquake appeal. From 2023 to 2025, he was a Jette Parker Artist at Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House, working closely with the Royal Ballet, assisting on productions across two seasons, and conducting the renowned orchestra in several concert performances.
In the 2025/26 season, José returned to the Royal Ballet to lead performances of La Fille mal gardée at Covent Garden and on tour in Tokyo, and returned to Birmingham Royal Ballet for The Nutcracker. He also made debuts with New York City Ballet in a Triple Bill and the Greek National Opera Ballet conducting Giselle. Highlights of the 2026/27 season include debuts with Dutch National Ballet, La Scala Theatre Ballet, WDR Funkhausorchester, Sinfonia Smith Square, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan.
Other recent highlights include José’s US debut with the Symphony Orchestra of the YOLA National Festival at Walt Disney Concert Hall in July 2024 and his debut with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra in Caracas in April 2025.
Educated within the El Sistema programme, José held the position of Artistic and Music Director of El Sistema Greece between 2018 and 2023, where he curated and conducted concerts in the country’s leading venues and festivals. He continues to be a passionate advocate for music education, with recent projects including conducting Sing, Dance, Leap in June 2025 for Bradford City of Culture, featuring the Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North, dancers from the Royal Ballet and Northern Ballet, and a choir of hundreds of local children. He also led the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Symphony Orchestra in its recent The Orchestra Rocks performance at The Barbican, in partnership with Carnegie Hall’s acclaimed Link Up project. In the 2026/27 season, José will lead a project with the Edinburgh Youth Orchestra.
José began his conducting studies with Felipe Izcaray before continuing under Gregory Carreño at the Special Program for Academic Development in Caracas. He has since taken part in international masterclasses with distinguished conductors including Riccardo Muti, Dick van Gasteren, Manfred Huss, Rüdiger Bohn, Alejandro Posada, Rodolfo Saglimbeni, Eduardo Marturet, Christoph Eschenbach, and Michalis Economou. Recognised as an exceptional student, he was selected for an international exchange with the University of Göteborg, Sweden, to join its master’s programme in Orchestral Performance. In 2020, aged just 23, he was a finalist in the inaugural Arthur Nikisch Conducting Competition, and he has also served as assistant to Gustavo Dudamel and Christian Vasquez for major performances, recordings, and international tours.
Born in 1997 on Margarita Island, Venezuela, José first came to prominence as a teenager and has since conducted widely in Venezuela and abroad. His work has been profiled by Reuters, The Guardian, and China National TV. Born into a family of educators, he has a passion for languages, speaking Spanish, English, Italian and Greek fluently, and is currently learning French and German.
For more information contact Jessica Grime - jess@keynoteAM.com - + 44 (0) 7599 107 892
September 2026
https://www.salazarjose.com
