Darwin Aquino

About Darwin

Known for his charismatic energy and musical versatility as a conductor and composer, Darwin Aquino’s career has taken him to orchestra halls and opera theaters across Europe, United States, and Latin America. His constant presence as a Dominican artist in multiples stages is seen as a bright light for diversity and inclusion in classical music.

Recently appointed conductor for the New Works Collective with Opera Theater of St. Louis and Music Director of the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra, Darwin’s 2022-23 season also included conducting D. Cimarosa’s Il Matrimonio Segreto for the Florida Grand Opera; appearing as a guest conductor for Interlochen Center for the Arts and the St. Louis Ballet; and serving as a guest composer with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Heredia (Concerto for Violin, Strings, and Percussion) and the San Francisco Civic Orchestra (Lunga Pandemia).

Additionally, he also serves as Music Director of the Gateway Festival Orchestra and Conductor-in-Residence for the Washington University Symphony Orchestra.

Other recent appearances include guest conducting the Missouri Symphony Orchestra, the Ashland Symphony Orchestra in Ohio, and the Caribbean Lyric Festival; plus performances of his compositions with The Juilliard School in New York City, the Illinois Modern Ensemble at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the Latin American Music Festival in Venezuela, and the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City.

Aquino has enjoyed regular engagements around the world, including the Philharmonishes Staatsorchester Mainz, Saarländisches Staatsorchester in Germany, The Cleveland Opera, National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, ADCA Symphony Orchestra in New York, Chicago Summer Opera, Filarmónica Boca del Rio in Mexico, Caribbean Lyric Festival, Missouri Festival for the Arts, Alfredo Saint Malo Festival Orchestra in Panama, and the FIU Symphony Orchestra in Miami, among others. He has also cover conducted the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Youth Symphony Orchestra, Palm Beach Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra of the Americas (OA).