Efrain Guigui (September 19, 1925 – June 18, 2007) was a US-based Panamanian born clarinetist and conductor.
Early life
Guigui was born on September 19, 1925 in
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
.
He grew up in Argentina, where he attended the Student Music Conservatory in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the Capital city, capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata ...
.
He graduated from
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original c ...
.
Career
At the age of 15, Guigui was the youngest clarinetist to ever play first chair in the Buenos Aires Symphony Orchestra, at the iconic Colon Theater, where he played under the tutelage of such great conductors as
Herbert Von Karajan
Herbert von Karajan (; born Heribert Ritter von Karajan; 5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, wi ...
, Otto Klemperer and
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orche ...
. It was there that he began developing his conducting skills and becoming highly regarded for his unique ability to interpret contemporary music true to its intent. Guigui's perfect pitch and mesmerizing solfege quickly established him as the premier conductor for contemporary music.
In the 1950s Guigui met and worked with Composer
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...
, who later invited Guigui to the United States to conduct in Tanglewood, where Guigui remained studying at Boston University graduating with high honors. Guigui and his wife Elena moved to New York City in 1960 where Guigui played clarinet in the
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
under the direction of
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...
. Guigui made his American debut as conductor Maestro Guigui at Town Hall and went on to tour with the
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...
.
Guigui was then invited by
Pablo Casals
Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), usually known in English by his Castilian Spanish name Pablo Casals, to San Juan, Puerto Rico to play clarinet with the Casals Festival and conduct the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra. Guigui and his family (his son Martin, daughter Ana) all moved to and lived in Puerto Rico, where Guigui was also a full-time professor at the Conservatory of Music. Guigui went on to work alongside the likes of
Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman ( he, יצחק פרלמן; born August 31, 1945) is an Israeli-American violinist widely considered one of the greatest violinists in the world. Perlman has performed worldwide and throughout the United States, in venues that hav ...
,
Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern (July 21, 1920 – September 22, 2001) was an American violinist.
Born in Poland, Stern came to the US when he was 14 months old. Stern performed both nationally and internationally, notably touring the Soviet Union and China, an ...
,
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name:
* Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor
** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England
** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to t ...
,
Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim (; in he, דניאל בארנבוים, born 15 November 1942) is an Argentine-born classical pianist and conductor based in Berlin. He has been since 1992 General Music Director of the Berlin State Opera and "Staatskapellmeist ...
,
Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...
,
Placido Domingo Placido may refer to:
People Surname
* José Plácido de Castro (1873–1908), Brazilian soldier and politician
* Michele Placido, (born 1946) Italian actor and director
*Plácido Vega y Daza, (1830-1878) 19th century Mexican general and politicia ...
, and
Alexander Schneider
Abraham Alexander Schneider (October 21, 1908 – February 2, 1993) was a violinist, conductor and educator. Born to a Jewish family in Vilnius, Lithuania, he later moved to the United States as a member of the Budapest String Quartet.
Early l ...
.
Maestro Guigui was the conductor of the
Vermont Symphony Orchestra
The Vermont Symphony Orchestra (VSO) is a symphony orchestra based in, and supported in part by, the U.S. state of Vermont. It is a 501(c)(3) corporation. It is one of the few, and the oldest, state-supported symphony orchestras in the United Sta ...
from 1974 to 1989.
He also conducted orchestras as a guest in South America.
Additionally, he was a guest conductor at the
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most ...
in New York City.
Guigui taught clarinet and conducting at
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
where he also conducted the Dartmouth Symphony.
Guigui founded the Panama Youth Orchestra.
Guigui established a children's orchestra in Mexico.
He was the recipient of the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts from the
Vermont Council on the Arts in 1989.
In 1986 Guigui won the
Ditson Conductor's Award
The Ditson Conductor's Award, established in 1945, is the oldest award honoring conductors for their commitment to the performance of American music. The US$5,000 purse is endowed by the Alice M. Ditson Fund at Columbia University, increased in ...
.
Guigui and his childhood best friend, Pulitzer Prize winning composer
Mario Davidovsky
Mario Davidovsky (March 4, 1934 – August 23, 2019) was an Argentine-American composer. Born in Argentina, he emigrated in 1960 to the United States, where he lived for the remainder of his life. He is best known for his series of compositions ca ...
, ran the Composers Conference for 40 years, with Guigui making over 3,000 recordings.
Just prior to his passing, Maestro Guigui conducted three nights of the Rachmaninoff Competition at
Walt Disney Concert Hall
The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, California, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It was opened on October 24, 2003. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand A ...
in Los Angeles, to sold out standing ovations.
Death
Guigui died on June 18, 2007 of complications from sarcoma cancer, in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guigui, Efrain
1925 births
2007 deaths
Deaths from cancer in California
Boston University alumni
Panamanian emigrants to Argentina
Argentine expatriates in the United States