ENSEMBLES 2023

Antonio Paoli Music School Youth Orchestra

The Symphonic Orchestra of the Specialized Music School Antonio Paoli of Caguas was created in August 2021 by the former school director Dora Ruiz Torres, and it’s formed by both middle and high school students from Caguas and other nearby cities. The age of these students ranges from 12 to 18 years old and all of them are on an intermediate to advanced level. In the present, there are 46 students registered in this orchestra and approximately 15 collaborators that belong to other specialized music schools in the country. Even though this orchestra has existed for quite a short time, it has had some great achievements and successes from the moment of its founding. This orchestra has presented itself, together with the Choir of the school, in “Jesús M. Sanromá” hall of the Music Conservatory of Puerto Rico where its first Christmas concert took place to the delight of the public that filled the room. Additionally, it performed in the end of year concert and in the reopening of the theater of our school accompanied by soloists and invited artists, such as Juan Vélez, and other important and varied music groups of the school. Our orchestra also participated in a musical play called “Selecciones de Teatro Musical Sueña”. On the summer of 2022 the orchestra was able to organize a summer camp for its own students and students from nearby schools. During this summer camp, magistral classes and workshops took place for the benefit of the students. The amazing repertoire that was created was presented in concerts in the cities of Caguas and Juana Díaz. Recently, the Symphonic Orchestra had an appearance in the concerts of the famous urban singer “Arcangel” in the “Coliseo José M. Agrelot”, the biggest and most important coliseum of the island. In addition, it was invited to participate in the award ceremonies of APAOSS (Association of Parents and Friends of Middle and High School Orchestras Association) in the Symphony Hall of the major Fine Arts Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where it was able to exhibit its high level of execution.

Leticia Medina

Conductor

Professor Leticia Medina Díaz was born into a family of musical background. She began her musical studies of the violin with her father, the professor Jaime E. Medina. At the same time, she took piano classes with the professor Carmelina Figueroa. She studied at the Specialized School of Music of San Juan and at the Preparatory School of the Conservatory of Puerto Rico, where she later became a violin professor and the director of the Elemental Orchestra of Puerto Rico for 15 years. Later on, she enrolled in the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico where she obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in violin and her Master’s Degree in music education. Mrs. Medina has studied orchestral conducting in South America, United States, and Puerto Rico. She has also taken courses in the teaching method of Suzuki for violin in Chicago and Puerto Rico. She is the president and founder of Borinquen String Fest and of the Juvenile Symphonic Band of Puerto Rico. She is a member of the Philharmonic Orchestra Arturo Somohano, and also the conductor of the Chamber Orchestra of the Philharmonic of Puerto Rico. She is currently a violin professor at the Specialized School of Music Antonio Paoli of Caguas and the conductor of both the Philharmonic Orchestra and the Symphonic Orchestra of said school.

Elizabeth Cintrón

Conductor

Born in Caguas, Puerto Rico. Professor Elizabeth Cintrón achieved her bachelor’s degree in performance of the clarinet with a double concentration in music education in the Music Conservatory of Puerto Rico. Additionally, she continued taking credits of a Master’s degree in performance of the clarinet with the professors Kathleen Jones, Dawn Lindblade and Oskar Espina Ruíz. During her time as a student in the Conservatory, she participated in the Symphonic Orchestra, the Concert Band (where she participated in its presentation in the prestigious Carnegie Hall, NY) and the Six Elements Ensemble. Elizabeth is a certified teacher in the Kodaly method and possesses 13 years of teaching experience. As an educator, she has worked for the Symphonic Juvenile Orchestra of Puerto Rico, the music program 100 x 35 and in private colleges in Puerto Rico. Additionally, she has been the Conductor of the Rhapsody Band, the Intermediate Band of the Specialized School of Music Jesús T. Piñero and the Scholar Band of Cidra, where she has shaped students for prestigious universities in the United States and in Puerto Rico. She was also the general music teacher in the Baptist High School of Caguas. As a clarinetist she has performed in some of the best music ensembles in Puerto Rico. Some of these are the Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonic Camerata, the Symphonic Orchestra of Puerto Rico, the Municipal Band of Caguas, the Concert Band of Puerto Rico (the state band) the Symphonic Orchestra of Bayamón and, internationally, the Symphonic Juvenile Orchestra and the Symphonic Orchestra of the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. In the present, Professor Elizabeth Cintrón teaches in the Specialized School of Music Antonio Paoli in Caguas, where she occupies the position of clarinet teacher. She is also the associate conductor of this school’s Symphonic Orchestra. Moreover, she possesses a Master’s degree in Scholar Administration and Supervision. She possesses certifications as a school director k-12 and as a director of specialized schools of Fine Arts.

Benito Díaz Piñero

Conductor

Benito Díaz Piñero was born in Las Piedras, Puerto Rico.  His music studies first began when he joined the band program of Ramón Power y Giralt High School, where he studied with professors Germán Peña and Jan Duclerc. He enrolled in the Music Conservatory of Puerto Rico, where he studied for his bachelor’s degree in French horn with Professor Luis Arroyo.  Afterwards he obtained a second Bachelor’s degree in Music Education, achieving both degrees with the honorific title of Summa Cum Laude.   During his bachelors’ degree studies, he stood out as a soloist in both the Symphonic and the Chamber Orchestras of Puerto Rico.  Later he continued his studies by earning a full scholarship to the Peabody Institute of the John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he studied under Professor Peter Landgren.
Mr. Diaz was a member of the Band of Puerto Rico, the quintets Metalissimo and Gabrielli, the Puerto Rico Chamber Ensemble and “Camerata Caribe”.  He also belonged to the ensemble “Cameristas” of the Casals festival in Puerto Rico.  Mr. Diaz has been able to stand out as a music arranger for some of Puerto Rico’s best ensembles.  He has worked as a music director of several music groups for students such as The Juvenile Symphonic Orchestra of the Llorens Torres school, both the Juvenile Symphonic Orchestra and the Concert Band of the Specialized Music School in Humacao and all the bands of the Specialized Music School in San Juan.  Additionally, he has conducted the Philharmonic Orchestra of Puerto Rico as an invited director.
In the present, Mr. Diaz occupies the position of first chair of the French horn section in both the Symphonic Orchestra of Puerto Rico and in the Philharmonic Orchestra of Puerto Rico.  He has participated as a soloist in these orchestras numerous times. In addition, he works as a French horn professor, as a music theory professor and as a conductor of the Intermediate Band of the Specialized Music School Antonio Paoli of Caguas. 

Celebration Program

Additional Concerts Program