When longtime Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra (OFJ) cellist Mariana Martinez studied conducting under Hector Guzmán, when he was director of the 90-member group from 2004 to 2010, she must have had more than an inkling of her musical aspirations.
But it took an unusual, “open-air” OFJ season, entitled “Serenatas de Primavera” (Spring Serenades) before she could display her directing acumen to devoted classical audiences, as she is set to do Wednesday, May 4, in Jocotopec, and Friday, May 6, in the Patio de las Naranjas inside Guadalajara’s lovely Instituto Cultural Cabañas.
Long noted as a solid, serious, yet charming presence in the OFJ, Martinez comes from a musical family that relocated to Guadalajara decades ago. Her program in both venues consists of Mozart’s Serenade No. 11 K. 375, Bottesini’s “Concerto for double bass in b minor” and Stamitz’s “Three Mannhein Symphonies.” The Wednesday concert in Jocotepec, 8 p.m., will be free of charge and held at the Templo del Señor del Monte. Tickets for Friday’s 8:30 p.m. Cabañas concert, 300 pesos, are available using a credit card at https://bit.ly/OFJenCabanas.
Other highlights of OFJ’s spring program, including an outdoor concert in Guadalajara, performances in the Jalisco towns of Tizapan el Alto and San Gabriel, and Mexico City soprano Grace Echaurri directing, are at www.ofj.com.mx.