A show of raw power, an aural force to glue you to your seat
Praised for her “rich, heartfelt orchestral sound” (Chicago Sun-Times), “rhythmic vitality” (San Francisco Chronicle) and “raw power” (LA Times), Colombian American conductor Lina González-Granados has distinguished herself nationally and internationally as a singular talent. Her spectacular interpretations of the symphonic and operatic repertoire, as well as her dedication to highlighting new and unknown works by Latin American composers, have earned her international recognition. Most recently, she was named one of Bloomberg Línea’s 100 Influential Latinos of 2022. She is also the recipient of the 2021 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, the Third Prize and ECHO Special Award (European Concert Hall Organization) of La Maestra Competition, and the 2020 and 2021 Solti Foundation US Career Assistance Award.
After winning the Fourth Chicago Symphony Orchestra Sir Georg Solti International Conducting Competition, Lina was named the Solti Conducting Apprentice, and served as the assistant to Maestro Riccardo Muti from February 2020 through June 2023. In the fall of 2022, she was appointed Resident Conductor by the LA Opera, a post she will hold through June 2028. She has also previously held positions as the Inaugural Conducting Fellow of the Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as the Conducting fellow of the Seattle Symphony.
Lina’s 2025-26 starts with an extensive tour with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Anne-Sophie Mutter as soloists, performing across France, Germany and Austria, followed by debuts with Orquestra Sinfonica de Mineria, Tulsa, Grand Rapids and Omaha symphonies, Hong Kong Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra Taiwan, Istanbul State Orchestra, Franz Schubert Filharmonia and National Orchestra of Spain. This season Lina will be returning to the Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco and Kristiansand Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, National Symphony Dublin, Orchestre Métropolitain and LA Opera to lead the production of La bohème in the fall of 2025.
"[González-Granados] emphasized the lyrical sweep of Beethoven’s music, integrating its shifting emotions into a cohesive whole... and the soaring, romantic melodies of Brahms’s Symphony No. 1 were an ideal showcase for Gonzalez-Granados’s ability to sculpt rich, heartfelt orchestral sound."
Recent highlights include debuts with Opera Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Atlanta, New World, New Jersey Symphonies, National Arts Center Ottawa Sarasota and Minnesota Orchestra, Aalborg Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia. During her tenure at LA Opera, Lina lead a highly acclaimed production of Britten’s Rape of Lucretia with LA Opera — which San Francisco Classical Voice called an “insightfully led” performance which “gave new meaning to the words intimacy, clarity, and beauty, all wrapped in a damning and brutal storyline” — ; El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego, the LA Opera rendition of a new musical portrait from GRAMMY-winning composer Gabriela Lena Frank, as well as Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz as well as Golijov’s haunting Ainadamar in the spring of 2025.
Born and raised in Cali, Colombia, Lina made her conducting debut in 2008 with the Youth Orchestra of Bellas Artes. She holds a master’s degree in conducting with Charles Peltz, a graduate diploma in choral conducting from New England Conservatory with Erica Washburn, and a doctor of musical arts in orchestral conducting from Boston University. Her principal mentors include Riccardo Muti, Yannick Nézet- Séguin, Bernard Haitink, Bramwell Tovey, and Marin Alsop.