Colombian-born, worldwide-trained, and based in the USA;

Opera, Orchestra, and Ballet Conductor. 

 

General Director of the Performing Arts Laboratory (Bloomington IN, USA) and Music Director of The Americas Chamber Orchestra (Bloomington IN, USA). The International Press references him as a “Musical Genius” and “synonymous of energy, knowledge, and confidence of high artistic quality”. Due to his outstanding international career, Maestro Barbosa-Vásquez  was named by ProColombia as Ambassador of Colombia Country Brand in 2017 and his major scholarly/practical contributions to the international performing arts field are starting to be recognized globally.

 

Maestro Diego was Music & Artistic Director of the Collaborative Arts Opera Summer Camp (Los Angeles, CA), Music Director of the World Music Symphony Orchestra in California-USA, Music and Artistic Director of Huila Philharmonic, Chief Conductor of E&P® Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of Huila Conservatory and Rock Symphony Orchestra. Also, Diego was chief Conductor of E&P Choirs of Cajicá, Colina, and Aparecida; Choral Conductor at “Tocar y Luchar Cafam-Colombia” and Head of the Virrey Solís-E&P Conservatory.

 

Also, the Colombian maestro has been Assistant, Cover & Fellow Conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (2023) as Cover/Assistant Conductor, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra as IU Conducting Fellow (2022-2023), Cincinnati Symphony and May Festival (Cincinnati, OH) as Juanjo Mena Apprentice (2021, 2023), Nashville Symphony Orchestra as Giancarlo Guerrero Apprentice (2022), Indiana Opera and Ballet Theater (Bloomington, IN, USA) (2020 - 2022), APU Symphony Orchestra (CA, USA) (2017-2018), and APU Opera Theater (CA, USA) (2017-2018).

 

Guest conductor for the 70 anniversary of UNICEF concert, the Colombian Maestro has been winning international recognition since conducting in El Salvador (2014), his 1st. International Opera Conductors Competition in Belgium (Opera Royal de Wallonie) (2017) and the III Nino Rota International Conducting Competition in Italy (2018), in last both cases representing Latinamerica.  Diego has been Principal Guest Conductor of the National Youth Symphony Orchestra of El Salvador (El Salvador) (2014 - 2020), Guest Conductor of the Wabash Valley Youth Symphony (IN, USA), OCSA Symphony Orchestra (CA, USA), Caldas Symphony Orchestra (Caldas, Colombia), and Choir and Founding Orchestra of Esperanza Azteca Program (Puebla, México). 

 

As a performer, Maestro Barbosa-Vásquez was Principal Viola at Caldas Symphony Orchestra, Juan N. Corpas Symphony Orchestra, Colombia Joven Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Acordanza, Orchestra of the “Art and Opera for All Foundation,” Unimúsica Symphony Orchestra, Bogotá Symphony Orchestra FOSBO, and Scholarship holder and Co-Founder Member of the Filarmónica Joven de Colombia (FJC).​ Also, with only 17 years, was invited to play with the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia as Viola Youth outstanding talent. 

 

Furthermore Maestro Barbosa-Vasquez is a outstanding scholar recognized for his major contributions to the Orchestra, Opera, and Performance Arts field. He is an affiliated scholar of the prestigious Ostrom Workshop (Economic Nobel Prize  winners Scholars) where he leads advanced international practical research in Opera and Performing Arts Sustainability. There, he collaborates with different performing arts leaders and multiple minds and experts in different fields, to clarify the clues and strategies to secure Opera and Arts Sustainability in the mid, and long-term from the local, regional, national, and international perspectives. Maestro Barbosa-Vasquez is regularly being invited  at prestigious conferences including being a Panelist in the prestigious Closing Plenary of the League of American Orchestras 2023 Conference in Pittsburgh (PA, USA) for his major contributions to the field,  a special guest lecturer at the 11th European Orchestra Festival of (EOFed) and WFAO General Assembly (2018 - Norway), and a special guest lecturer at the WFAO General Assembly (2019 - Singapore) also representing Latin America. He is also a Professional Member (as an Opera, Orchestra, and Ballet Conductor) of the League of American Orchestras and Opera America.  

 

Maestro Diego holds a Doctor in Music Degree (Graduating with Honors) with Major in Opera, Orchestra, and Ballet Conducting and Minors in Music Theory and Arts Administration from the prestigious Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University (IN, USA). Graduated with special commnedation for his “exemplary performance [and] the depth of [his] knowledge and [his] ability to draw from it freely”. There he was a full Scholarship holder of Graduate Tuition Award and the distinguished Artistic Excellence Award. In addition his Doctoral Dissertation “Models  for the Creation and Leadership of Opera Camps” has been received multiple international awards. Not only for his groundbreaking research of framing Arts and Opera as Cultural Commons to secure its Artistic, Financial, Social, and Ecological Sustainability; but also for the outstanding level of applicability to multiple organizations, products, and services at the international performing arts fields.  Diego also holds an M.M. (Master in Music Degree - Graduated with honors) in Opera and Orchestra Conducting at Azusa Pacific University (CA, USA) as a recipient of a full assistantship and John Simons scholarship. There he worked as Assistant Conductor of APU Symphony Orchestra, APU Opera Theater, and Guest Conductor of the Studio Orchestra and APU Musical Theater Company. And holds a Maestro in Music degree (Bachelor) from Juan N. Corpas University Music School (Bogotá D.C., Colombia) graduated with honors with Major in Conducting (Orchestra, Choir, and Opera), and Minors in Viola and Chamber Music.

 

Furthermore, with more than 14 years of experience in the Arts Administration world, in addition to leading multiple organizations, he holds an “Associate Degree” (Executive Certificate) from the Global Leaders Program of OA (Orchestra of the Americas) in Orchestra, Artistic, and Musical Organizations Administration.

His principal conducting mentors are Arthur Fagen (USA), Thomas Wilkins (USA), and Marzio Conti (Italy) at Indiana University - USA, Christopher Russell (USA) at Azusa Pacific University - USA), Jorge Alejandro Salazar (Colombia) at Corpas University Colombia, and JuanJo Mena (Spain) Internationally.