The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires + Prokofiev 5

Originally from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, Gabriela Lara began her violin studies at age eight and later became a member of the Latin American Violin Academy, where she was a student of Jose Francisco del Castillo and Francisco Diaz. She was also a member of El Sistema in Venezuela and, as part of that ensemble, had the opportunity to make a 2014 Europe Tour with the Teresa Carreño Symphony Orchestra. She performed with Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra as part of a 2016 European tour that included a concert at the Berliner Philharmonie and performed with Sir Simon Rattle as part of a tour that included concerts at the Salzburg Festival.

Since moving to the United States in 2017, Lara was recognized as the winner of the 28^th Sphinx Annual Competition as well as placing second place in the 25^th edition, and was the winner of the 2021 Frank Preuss International Violin Competition. She was also the recipient of a 2022 Project Inclusion Fellowship from the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. In 2022, Lara received a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, where she was a student of Almita Vamos and went on to receive a Master’s degree in Suzuki Pedagogy from Roosevelt University in 2024.

In the 2022–23 Season, Lara was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago serving as Civic’s Concertmaster in 2023 to later become the first Chicago Symphony Orchestra Fellow. As a CSO Fellow, Lara performed on tour in North America and Europe with Riccardo Muti performing in prestigious halls like the Grand Hall of the Musikverein, the Paris Philharmonie, and the Teatro alla Scala. Lara held that position with the CSO first in the 2022–23 Season and continued in the program during the 2023–24 Season before her appointment to the second violin section of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. In 2025, Lara became the first CSO musician appointed by Klaus Mäkelä as a member of the first violin section.

Spanish-American conductor François López-Ferrer has carved an impressive path in the world of classical music, distinguished by his dynamic artistry and compelling performances. Recipient of the prestigious 2024 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, his international career has been marked by recent debuts with esteemed orchestras worldwide, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) at the Hollywood Bowl, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Opéra national de Paris, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Nacional de España, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Orquesta Sinfónica Radio Televisión Española, Verbier Festival Orchestra, Ensemble intercontemporain, Opéra de Lausanne, and George Enescu Philharmonic. Upcoming engagements include debuts with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid at the Teatro Real de Madrid in a production of Verdi’s Il Trovatore, Houston and Utah Symphonies, Orchestra Sinfonica G. Rossini at the Rossini Opera Festival, Basque National Orchestra, Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra, and the Spoleto Festival USA leading Britten’s Turn of the Screw, as well as returns to the Omaha Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico, and the Symphony San Jose.

His journey began as Associate Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony (CSO) and May Festival, where he made a significant impact on audiences and critics alike. In January 2022, he seamlessly stepped in for Louis Langrée with the CSO for the U.S. premiere of Mark Simpson’s Violin Concerto, featuring Nicola Benedetti. López-Ferrer’s artistry was further refined during his tenure as a 2021–22 Dudamel Fellow with the LA Phil, as well as Resident Conductor of the Opéra de Paris's Académie. He was a featured conductor in the 2022 Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview alongside the Louisiana Philharmonic. Early career achievements include serving as Associate Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Chile and Principal Conductor of the Ballet Nacional Chileno. As a 2018 Verbier Festival Conducting Fellow, he made a memorable debut stepping in for Iván Fischer in a shared program alongside Sir Simon Rattle and Gábor Takács-Nagy. Furthermore, he is a two-time recipient of the Solti Foundation U.S.’s Career Assistance Award, winner of the inaugural 2015 Neeme Järvi Prize at the Menuhin-Gstaad Festival, and former member of the Deutsche Dirigentenforum.

López-Ferrer holds a master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne and a bachelor’s in Composition from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Born in Switzerland and raised in the United States, he embodies a rich multicultural lineage, with a Cuban mother and Spanish father, and speaks six languages fluently.