Jorge Patricio Viera Soria

Jorge Patricio Viera is one of the most talented and distinctive conductors to enter the international concert arena.

He was born in Quito, Ecuador and grew up in a family with a long musical tradition. It was obvious from a very early age that Jorge was gifted and he began studies with his grandfather, Francisco Viera. Maestro Viera continued his studies at the National Conservatory in Ecuador where he won his first competition.

From 1984, Viera studied in Russia and graduated from the St. Petersburg, Rimsky-Korsakov School of Music with degrees in conducting and clarinet performance. He continued his studies at the St. Petersburg Conservartory with the Maestros Nicolai Kiriukhin and Ilya Musin and went on to earn his doctorate in conducting with Maestro Roman Matsov at the Tallinn Music Academy in Estonia.

Jorge Patricio Viera has performed extensively at major venues in Russia, Ecuador, Estonia, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany and Sweden. He has garnered praise for his outstanding musicianship, determination, vitality and humanity. Maestro Viera has distinguished himself often for the "exotic brilliance" of his programming and interpretations and for raising the standards of the orchestras with which he works.

Viera's in depth exploration of Latin American repertoire and its capacity to combine classical and contemporary styles has made him one of the most distinctive talents currently emerging from Latin America. Because of his Latin American origins combined with his learning within the great Russian school of conducting, Viera is able to reach out to and attract a diverse audience.

Maestro Viera has recently moved to Toronto making Canada his new home.