Orlando Cela

Phone: 617-666-4690
E-mail: cela@mindspring.com

With appearances in Austria, Great Britain, Venezuela and many cities in the U.S., Orlando Cela is defining himself as a versatile player. Having studied music from a very early age in the Colegio Emil Friedman in Caracas, Orlando developed a quick talent for the flute, which led him to his debut at age 13, performing J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #5. As the only DePauw student to win four consecutive times the DePauw University Concerto Competition, Orlando has demonstrated proficiency performing works of every kind. His playing earned him the opportunity to play alongside his teacher Paula Robison in concert with the Gardner Museum Chamber Orchestra. As an advocate of new music, Orlando recently performed the world premiere of David Leisner's "Acrobats" with guitarist Luiz Mantovani, and has recorded the music of Takemitsu and Eun Jung Choi. As a lover of chamber music, Orlando is a member of the Radius Ensemble and has performed with a variety of groups including the Aurelius Ensemble. His orchestral experience has taken him to many includes collaborations with Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Sergiu Comissiona, Gunther Schuller, Ben Zander and others. Orlando is a flute teacher at the All Newton Music School and the Brookline Music School.

As a conductor, Orlando has been described as a "superb conductor, performer and leader", and as possessing "high musicianship and talent" by the local media. As the music director and founder of the Soria Chamber Players, Orlando has performed a wide repertoire, including the music of contemporary composers such as Pozzi Escot, Ralph Shapey and José Elizondo. He has performed with soloists of the level of Randal Hodgkinson, Will Riley and David Fulmer. Under Orlando's direction, the Soria Chamber Players recently gave the U.S. premiere of Salvatore Sciarrino's opera "Lohengrin", and upcoming premieres include works by Pozzi Escot, Jonathan Saggau and Jeffrey Radcliffe. He is also the Assistant Conductor of the Newton Symphony Orchestra and the Music Director of the Willow Flute Ensemble, the only Boston based group selected to perform in this upcoming National Flute Association Convention in Washington, D.C. Orlando's conducting teachers include Ms. Tamara Brooks and Frank Battisti.

Orlando lives in Quincy, with his beautiful wife and also flutist, Masumi Yoneyama.

Homepage: http://cela.home.mindspring.com/