Manuel Ochoa was born on October 6,1925 and was a Cuban exile musician, choral and orchestra conductor who founded the Miami Symphony Orchestra.
13 Facts About Manuel Ochoa
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Manuel Ochoa was born on October 6,1925, in Holguin, Cuba, to Manuel Trinidad Ochoa and Caridad Ochoa.
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Manuel Ochoa showed a strong ability for music from an early age, beginning his music studies with his mother, Caridad, a classically trained opera singer.
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Manuel Ochoa made his musical debut in his hometown at the age of seventeen, conducting Verdi's Il Trovatore.
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Manuel Ochoa went on to graduate from the Conservatorio Internacional de Musica in Havana, and began his professional career as a choral conductor in Havana.
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Manuel Ochoa was the conductor of several choirs in Havana, such as the Coro de Madrigalistas.
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Manuel Ochoa continued his education in Europe, where he graduated from the Real Conservatorio de Madrid in Spain after receiving a scholarship from the Instituto de Cultura Hispanica.
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Manuel Ochoa then studied conducting technique at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome under Maestro Bonaventura Somma; and in Vienna under Hermann Scherchen of the German School of Conducting.
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Manuel Ochoa was among the first of Miami's Cuban exile artists to see the creative opportunities that the city could offer as the gateway of the Americas.
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In 1969 Manuel Ochoa conceived the Centro de Artes de America, a performing arts center to promote cultural collaboration across the Americas.
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In 1989 Maestro Manuel Ochoa founded the Miami Symphony Orchestra as a cultural expression of Miami's multiethnic community.
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Manuel Ochoa served as the artistic director and conductor of the Miami Symphony Orchestra from its founding in 1989 until 2006, leading the orchestra in award-winning programming and performances, including guest performances at prestigious venues such as New York City's famed Carnegie Hall.
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Manuel Ochoa was married to Sofia Ochoa and they had one son, Manuel.