Felipe Tristán to Make Eastern European Debut with Sofia Philharmonic at Frequenza Festival
The program spans from Beethoven to contemporary jazz, and more.
Mexican conductor Felipe Tristán will make his debut with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra in a gala concert at the Bulgaria Concert Hall in Sofia. The evening, which will serve as the opening concert of the Frequenza Festival, brings together an extraordinary group of international soloists in a program spanning from Beethoven to contemporary jazz, reaffirming the versatility of the Monterrey-born conductor.
For Tristán, this concert opens a new chapter in his relationship with Eastern Europe: standing before the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra for the first time, one of the oldest and most respected musical institutions in the Balkans, and at the Bulgaria Concert Hall, the foremost venue in the cultural life of the Bulgarian capital.
The program features a roster led by Sergei Nakariakov, widely regarded by critics as one of the most extraordinary trumpet players in the world. Joining him are artists of the highest international caliber: pianist Maria Meerovitch, violinist Barnabás Kelemen, cellist Boris Andrianov, violinist Jing Zhao, violist Roman Spitzer, violinist Kevin Zhu, jazz trumpeter Alex Sipiagin, and jazz pianist Misha Tsiganov.
PROGRAM
Ludwig van Beethoven: Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano in C major, Op. 56
Jean-Baptiste Arban: Variations on a Theme from Bellini's Opera «Norma», Op. 187
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Pezzo Capriccioso, Op. 62
Max Bruch: Romance for Viola and Orchestra, Op. 85
Bizet/Waxman: Carmen Fantasy, Op. 25
Wayne Shorter: Infant Eyes
Cole Porter: Just One of Those Things
FELIPE TRISTÁN
Felipe Tristán currently serves as Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra in New York, Associate Conductor of the San Antonio Philharmonic, and Principal Conductor of the Ballet de Monterrey. His international career spans Europe, Asia, and the Americas, establishing him as one of the most internationally active Mexican conductors of his generation.
In 2024, he became the first Mexican conductor to receive the Muzyczne Orły Award from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for Best Recording, for his album Flute Concertos - Penderecki & Reinecke with the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra. In March 2026, he received the Gold Medal Mayte Spínola at the Château de Rixensart in Belgium, in a ceremony attended by royalty and European cultural leaders. He has conducted at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the MET Gala, and recently led a tour through Hungary and Austria with the Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra of Szolnok and returned for a second consecutive year to the Orchestra Filarmonica della Calabria in Italy.
Among his upcoming engagements is a co-production by Carnegie Hall and the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra at the prestigious El Museo del Barrio on Fifth Avenue in New York, as well as a series of concerts in San Antonio and Houston this summer.
Videos