Ravinia 2024 Issue 2

TRADITION FOUND JESSICA ALTARRIBA SOARS WITH THE FREEDOM AND FRESHNESS OF ORCHESTRA BYKYLEMACMILLAN A YEAR AFTER GRADUATING from the University of Arts in Havana in 2018, Jessica Altarriba left Cuba for Spain, planning to pursue her dream of a conducting career in a country where she spoke the language and was confident she would feel comfortable. ¶ But COVID-19 soon hit, and things didn’t quite work out. Looking for a change, she applied for a Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship but was turned down for lack of experience. But famed conductor Marin Alsop, the program’s founder, saw what she described as “huge potential,” so she reached out and urged Altarriba to begin master’s studies under her tutelage at the Peabody Institute in Bal- timore. ¶ That’s what the now 29-year-old conductor did in 2022, and she has en- joyed success after success since, including her May appointment as Associate Con- ductor of the Utah Symphony, a post that will begin in September. ¶ “That was my first time in the United States,” she said about her enrollment at Peabody. “It wasn’t at all in my plans. My life perspective was more leaning to Europe, but then Marin just opened my eyes and she was like, ‘It’s going to be great for you. You’re going to have plenty of opportunities to develop your career, which is something you really need.’ ” RAVINIAMAGAZINE • JULY 1 – JULY 21, 2024 14 PATRICKGIPSON/RAVINIA