Colombian born Sebastian Serrano Ayala joins music department as visiting assistant professor

Sebastian Serrano-Ayala has joined The University of New Mexico Department of Music as a visiting assistant professor of Orchestral Studies for the 2024-25 academic year. An advocate for the music of our time, Colombian-born conductor Serrano-Ayala blends inclusive collaboration, and effortless conducting technique with fresh and timely musical interpretations.

Serrano-Ayala is actively involved with symphonic music and educational programs in the United States and has been named assistant conductor with the Skagit Symphony for the 2023-2024 season. He also serves as assistant conductor with the Saratoga Orchestra and has held Conducting Fellowships at the Allentown Symphony Orchestra and the Mostly Modern Festival in New York, where he premiered works with the American Modern Ensemble. Other recent engagements have included the San Juan Music Educators Honor Orchestra, the Whatcom Wind Ensemble, and acting as cover conductor for Yakima Symphony.

Past performance highlights include a premiere and recording session with Symphony Tacoma, leading the Royal Military Chapel "Johan Willem Friso'' during the Dutch International Festival BLOW, and conducting The United States Army Band Pershing's Own in Washington, D.C.

Serrano-Ayala was recently recognized for his leadership when he was a semi-finalist at the World Music Contest - Conductor's Competition. There, he worked with the Marinierskapel der Koninklijke Marine, the premier ensemble of the Netherlands military, and Blazerensemble Helicon, as well as the Royal Symphonic Band of the Belgian Air Force. He was also a finalist at the International Conducting Competition hosted by the Denver Philharmonic.

Through his research and programming, Serrano-Ayala advocates for the importance of contemporary music influenced by Latin America and his native Colombia. In Summer '22, he presented on these topics at a world conference of symphonic music in Prague, Czech Republic.

Serrano-Ayala holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Wind - Orchestral Conducting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music degree in Conducting from Andrews University, both he was awarded full scholarship and teaching assistantships. He also holds degrees in music education from the Adventist University of Colombia, and the Adventist University of the Philippines.

Additionally, Serrano-Ayala has taken part in masterclasses with conductors JoAnn Falletta, Diane Wittry, Sarah Ioannides, Ankush Kumar Bahl, Lawrence Golan, Aram Demirjian, Mark Heron, Jan Cober, Mallory Thompson, Michael Haithcock, and John E. Williamson. Mentors include Anna Edwards, Terence Milligan, Kevin Holzman, Aik Khai SJMEA Pung, Alan Mitchell, and Hugo Riaño.