Andrés Orozco-Estrada, born in Colombia and trained in Vienna, is one of the most outstanding young conductors of his generation. In 2004, he had his break-through conducting the Tonkünstler Orchestra (Austria) with one stand-in concert at the Vienna Musikverein - celebrated by the Viennese press as a "wonder from Vienna", engagements with numerous international orchestras followed and an intensive musical cooperation with the Tonkünstler Orchestra began at this time. At the beginning of the 2009/10 season, Orozco-Estrada was appointed music director of the Tonkünstler Orchestra where he succeeded Kristjan Järvi, Carlos Kalmar and Fabio Luisi. This orchestra holds subscription series at the Vienna Musikverein and is Orchestra-in-Residence at the Grafenegg Festival. At the same time, Orozco-Estrada took on the role as Principal Conductor at the Basque National Orchestra (Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi). Orozco-Estrada has already worked with some of the world’s leading orchestras including the Vienna Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. At his debut with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in autumn 2010, Orozco-Estrada

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"It is his captivating approach that makes the interpretations into something special ...here is a must-see conductor, who, with his wholehearted music-making and oversight of the work, is already making waves."

Kronen-Zeitung Oct 19th 2010

"The Tonkunstler showed themselves in tight form, Orozco-Estrada ... is agile enough for any sport, but does not tend toward exaggeration, rather he controls the transitions with precision whilst giving free rein to the forces of sound in Mahler’s concentrated surges of energy. It was rewarded with ovations"

Salzburger Nachrichten Nov 6th 2009

"Brilliant were the waltz antics of the second dance. … There, in this key work of modern symphonic pieces, the Columbian Shooting-Star emphasized the modeling of different sound reliefs. With precise conducting technique and strategic calculus he confronted elegiac piano with furious forte as dynamics of the instrumental drama. Soulful reverie and bucolic landscapes also inclusive. … Also at any other time the Philharmonic proved their class and high level: maybe a new conducting-love, definitely a new passion. Both – orchestra and conductor – were celebrated enthusiastically by the audience."

Süddeutsche Zeitung Apr 26th 2010

"There were two standing ovations on Saturday in the Musikverein. [...] To earn these he combined his perfect hand movements with a temperament that he knows how to delicately step up and measure out. [...] Orozco-Estrada celebrated Wagner's Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde with clarity and ardent melodic beauty, Dvorák's 7th Sympony with dance-like elegance and delicate flair for even the smallest decelerations, at the same time breathing and with much dramatisation."

Der Standard Oct 18th 2010

"It was one of the most brilliant philharmonic debuts in memory. [...] he perfectly combined spirited enthusiasm, seamless gestures and deliberate disposition on all musical parameters. [...] Cleverly he left the orchestra to play out music and thus earned not only the joy of the audience but also the wholehearted acclaim of the musicians. The musicians were highly motivated and gave it their all, as could be seen with the performance of the superb horn group or the dramatic melodic beauty from the strings. There is no doubt that we'll be hearing much more from this conductor!"

Wiener Zeitung Oct 19th 2010

"He gave a debut that could not have been any better. Andrés Orozco-Estrada knows what the Vienna Philharmonic love, he let the orchestra play, got the music going, did not begrudge the musicians their enthusiasm and is a conductor with heavy, yet nuanced gestures. (...) Antonín Dvorák's seventh symphony was ingenious. (...) The audience were overjoyed and the orchestra thanked the maestro. Well done."

Kurier Oct 18th 2010

"Andrés Orozco-Estrada, principal conductor of the Tonkünstler orchestra and welcome stand-in, let the music run its course and with the music of Mendelssohn and Dvorák displayed courage, strong talent and a sense of the proportion and character of each piece. A conductor with a future."

Österreich Oct 18th 2010

"Andrés Orozco-Estrada, the Tonkünstlers’ young Colombian chief conductor, conjured a delicate transparency and a wealth of colour from his musicians that made the entire evening a sensual pleasure as well as a fascinating journey. Orozco-Estrada and the orchestra are on good form, and a packed Musikverein responded appreciatively. "

Financial Times Nov 2nd 2010

"... The short fact of the matter is that this is the finest recording of Mahler's First Symphony that I have ever heard.(...) Interpretatively it ranks with the very best (which in my mind is Bernstein/Concertgebouw on DGG) and shows much considered and unmannered playing that allows Mahler to speak his own mind while at the same time allowing the conductor to massage the work's emotional values for maximum effect. (...) The Tonkunstler-Orchester Niederosterreich - who are these people? Pungent winds, thrilling brass, and glorious strings! Wherever they hail from, they have a lot to be proud of, and I think we have a definitive winner in the ever-changing Mahler 1 sweepstakes. Grab this one - won't be sorry."

Audiophile Audition Nov 19th 2010

"The Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra makes a fine sound - warm but also clear and sharply focussed (...) Combined with Columbian conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada's energetic direction, it made their programme of nineteenth-century German classics come up as fresh as paint. In the overture to Weber's last opera, "Oberon", they balanced poetic delicacy and robustness (...) "

Music & Vision Feb 5th 2011

"(...)Orozco-Estrada is Vienna-trained, and his handling of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony demonstrated those credentials: a rhythmic and disciplined approach, with a sure shaping that made the fast and furious finale the logical culmination of all that came before. By way of amends, the Mozart reappeared as an encore, now with an irrepressible energy - and getting a laugh, too. "

The Guardian Feb 13th 2011

"Der Live-Mitschnitt (Sinfonie Nr. 1 D-Dur von G. Mahler, Anm. d. Red.) eines der Antrittskonzerte des kolumbianischen Dirigenten Andrés Orozco-Estrada, der im Wiener Musikverein im Oktober 2009 entstanden ist, zeigt auf geradezu atemberaubende Weise, was elegantes Musizieren ausmacht. (...) Die Klangqualität der SACD ist - gerade für einen Live-Mitschnitt - außerordentlich gut. Der Hörer erfährt die Live-Situation eigentlich nur durch den Schlussapplaus und keineswegs durch störende, wenn auch bei einer Live-Aufnahme unvermeidliche Nebengeräusche. Die Musikalität des Ensembles zeigt sich in der Fähigkeit, mit einem natürlichen Atem und einem unverkrampften Verständnis für große Bögen und Zusammenhänge zu spielen. Diese Interpretation schwingt (...). Alles ist auf besondere Weise schlüssig und folgerichtig. (...) Das ist Eleganz, die doch der Musik Mahlers auch all ihren Ernst lässt. "

www.klassik.com Mar 15th 2011

"(...) The orchestra is something of an unknown quantity in these parts, but the opening bars of Weber's Oberon overture established their credentials straightaway - in particular their distinguished horn players and the lustrous sound of their strings. Conductor Andres Orozco-Estrada also proved himself to be no slouch when it came to rhythmic punch and bounce."

This is Nottingham Feb 7th 2011

"(...) dem Staatsorchester Stuttgart gelang es unter der feinsinnigen Leitung des steil aufstrebenden Kolumbianers Andrés Orozco-Estrada einen Verdi weitab von der in deutschen Häusern so metallisch fetten Dresch-Manier zu realisieren. Bereits das dosiert abgestufte Vorspiel gab einen Hinweis auf die kommenden zwei Stunden: ein angenehm leicht schwingendes und moussierendes Trinklied, maßvolle Begleitfiguren, spannend aufgebaute Duett- und Ensemble-Steigerungen. Verdi mit Geschmack und viel Seele. Und entsprechender Publikumswürdigung. "

Der neue Merker Jul 18th 2011

"In mid-November Andrés Orozco-Estrada made his highly acclaimed USA début in Miami, where he conducted the New World Symphony in the New World Center, a concert hall designed by star architect Frank Gehry. Jamie Bernstein, the daughter of the legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, hosted the concert. The programme included works by Prokofiev, Bernstein and Tchaikovsky. “An impeccable New World” was the Nuevo Herald’s judgement on the concert. There was an enthusiastic ovation for Andrés Orozco-Estrada, “an artist on the podium” who according to the Nuevo Herald’s prediction “will be much talked about during his career”."

ElNuevoHerald.com Nov 27th 2011

"With youthful vigour the Gürzenich débutant Andrés Orozco-Estrada gave a convincing performance. Under his direction the Dances were performed powerfully and the cantilenas sang out with warmth"

Kölnische Rundschau Jan 9th 2012