Lara Diloy found in conducting the orchestra the best way to connect with her greatest passion, music. As an assistant director, she is a guarantee for theaters and head directors.. And we have been able to verify it recently, directing some performances of the opera Don Gil de Alcalá at the Teatro de la Zarzuela. His confidence and attitude in front of an orchestra show us that we are facing one of the new conducting talents in our country. the future is here.
How and when did you decide that you want to be a conductor??
In my case it has been a natural consequence of my dedication and passion for music. Since I was little I discovered that making music with other people made me very happy. The orchestra was my home, That's why when I finished higher horn studies and I felt that I needed to broaden my training to become a more complete musician, the option was to study orchestra conducting, since this discipline allowed me to deepen my knowledge while staying linked to the orchestra.
If I have to choose a key moment in which I decided to dedicate myself professionally to it, was participating in a JONDE meeting as a young director. The experience filled me so much that the following year I left my job as a teacher and the collaborations as a horn player in orchestras., and since then I have devoted myself body and soul to directing.
The conductor is the only musician who does not make a sound, but get everyone else to do it. What qualities do you think a conductor should have??
It is true that we do not emit any sound directly, but I will point out that the baton sounds (and a lot). The orchestra perceives our energy and our knowledge of music, and as such transfers it to the interpretation. That is the magic of conducting.
The necessary qualities are multiple since our discipline requires mastery of many facets. But something that I consider fundamental is to have a deep knowledge of the music that you have in your hands, decide your interpretive idea and, Of course, have the ability to communicate to transmit it to the group in front of you at all times.
She has been on several occasions assistant director at the Teatro de la Zarzuela, but this is the first time in which he has had to replace the titular teacher in several functions. Although, sooner or later that time may come, How is it?, what went through your head?
It really has been an unforgettable experience. Although as an assistant you are aware that at any time something can happen and you have to replace the teacher, usually does not happen. That is why it is difficult to know how you will react in such a situation..
In Don Gil de Alcalá I have had to take command in a few hours (They told me at 3:00 p.m. and the function was at 8:00 p.m.), and I can say that I only thought about doing what I had to do: be calm and lead. He knew perfectly the music and the production, and she was also surrounded by the teacher from a distance and throughout the theater. Fantastic energy was generated with the singers, the choir and the orchestra, and that energy reached the public. I can only be thankful for this opportunity.
Although he has had the opportunity to direct in important theaters such as Auditorio Nacional de Música and Teatro Monumental (Madrid), Alfredo Kraus Auditorium (The Gran Canarian palms) or the Arriaga Theater (Bilbao), How was this first experience leading the Orchestra, the Choir and the group of singers in a production as important as that of Don Gil de Alcalá at the Teatro de la Zarzuela?
It is a very special debut for me for many reasons. First, because debuting at the Teatro de la Zarzuela is a dream come true. I have been attending as a public for years, participating in various productions and working with enthusiasm to get to direct from the pit.
I feel very lucky that it was with a title like Don Gil de Alcalá, a Penella opera with wonderful music, in this production by Emilio Sagi that delights viewers (is a "candy"). If you add to that having worked hand in hand with maestro Macías and a huge cast professionally and humanly, and make music with the Madrid Community Orchestra and the Theater Choir, groups to which I have great affection, it is pure emotion to have lived this experience, so it will always hold an important place in my memory.
The figure of assistant director is not well known. Explain to us a little what it consists of and the importance it has in a production.
The work carried out by the musical assistant is fundamental within a production and, how do you say, little known and recognized. It is the extension of the musical teacher in the Theater, and for this reason this figure acquires importance for all the elements that form it: production, regiduría, technical team, orchestra (File, Archive, inspection, musicians), choir… The assistant conductor is in charge of matters such as preparing the materials in coordination with the archive of the orchestra, give notes to the singers, to the choir and orchestra, to listen to the balances in rehearsals, substitute the teacher in stage rehearsals (readings, sets and functions if necessary)… Together with the repeating teachers they form the musical team and facilitate the work of the director.
When there are internal bands, takes charge of directing them, something that in my case I have had to do in theaters such as the Maestranza or the Palau de Les Arts. The workload is extended when you are a musical assistant for a Season. Since 2021 I have assumed this role at the Oviedo Opera, where I also perform musical coordination tasks that have to do with the long term (template forecast, cortes, arrangement of the orchestra and a long etc.)
The work of the assistant director is not only important in productions, also in symphonic concerts or lyrical galas. I have recently been an assistant at the Teatro Real together with maestro Rovaris, at a gala with Lisette Oropesa, and the coordination with the theater archive and the teacher to prepare the materials was fundamental to optimize the rehearsal time to the maximum.
In addition to conducting, She is the director and founder of the Sinan Kay White Voices Choir., that we have been able to hear these days participating in Carmen, Bizet, at the Monumental Theater with the RTVE Orchestra and Choir. How did this project come about and what does it mean to you??
Sinan Kay is a very personal project. It arises from my time as a teacher, where I took charge of the children's choir of the center where I worked. The group disappeared from the programming and parents and students wanted to continue with the activity. It was established as an association in the course 2015/2016 and since then we have always sought a balance between artistic and pedagogical excellence.
In addition to having a multidisciplinary teaching team, we have participated in numerous competitions and festivals, being awarded several times. As for collaborations, we have sung in productions of the Teatro de la Zarzuela together with the Orchestra and Choir of the Community of Madrid and the Choir of the Theater, highlighting titles such as Pinocchio, The Wildcat or Mirentxu, and together with the Orchestra and Choir of Radio Televisión Española in the Concert of Kings of 2020 and in this Carmen. Next season we have commitments with both institutions again.
His knowledge of the symphonic and operatic repertoire is very broad. If you had to choose one of the two, Do you prefer conducting “only” symphony orchestras or do you prefer opera?
I have played in orchestra since the 12 years. The symphonic repertoire has always accompanied me and has made me grow as a musician. I could not conceive of dedicating myself to conducting an orchestra leaving aside that repertoire. Even so, I think that in the lyrical world I am finding my space. I feel comfortable and my high dedication to it in recent years is paying off. You work on a production for several weeks, there is more time to delve into the music and to get to know the people you work with, and that part makes me tilt the balance towards opera and zarzuela, although I would like to combine both.
You have said that women come to the orchestra direction to give you another point of view, enrich… what is yours?, what does Lara Diloy propose baton in hand?
Of course, I consider that the inclusion of new profiles in any field is enriching. Although perhaps my contribution is not new, yes i think it's rare: treat the profession naturally (we are people prepared to do a complex job, but not "divos" or anything like that), with leadership based on teamwork and making others shine, and seeking excellence from the love for music and the respect and affection for the people who accompany me in each project.
Are there any directors you particularly look up to or inspire you?
In the last year I have been fortunate to work with wonderful teachers.: Yves Abel, Corrado Rovaris, Ramón Tebar, Gianluca Marcianó, Lucas Macías, Ivan Lopez-Reynoso, Daniele Callegari… I have learned a lot from them and they are my greatest source of inspiration on a day-to-day basis.
I also have a lot to thank Óliver Díaz, with whom I have worked for a long time, that stands out for its professionalism and human stature. further, I follow Spanish directors or those who are making a career in Spain like Pablo González or Dima Slobodeniouk, since they are very talented musicians.
As for great names in history, Carlos Kleiber is a reference that I always have in mind. And also women like Marin Alsop or Susanna Mälkki who have been pioneers and have paved the way for us.
Is there a composer or work that you particularly like to direct and why??
I feel very comfortable directing Spanish repertoire, both lyrical and symphonic, and also with music by composers such as Mozart and Beethoven. Perhaps because they have been the pillars of my training as a musician and they adhere to the DNA. Even so, every time I am incorporating more repertoire and, even if it sounds cliché, I try that the work that I am interpreting or studying at each moment is the most wonderful in the world.
Surely you are already fulfilling one of your dreams. Where would you like to see yourself in not too long??, what do you dream about?
The most important is being done, What is it to be able to live from conducting an orchestra?. From then on I would always like to continue improving myself and improving., consolidate my career in Spanish theaters and orchestras, and take off with an international career.