SEBASTIAN ALMANZAR

Assistant conductor Opéra Orchestre national Montpellier

 

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Sebastian was recently appointed assistant conductor at the Montpellier Opera for the 2025/26 and 2026/27 seasons.

In June 2024, he was selected as one of the four active participants in the Ammodo Masterclass conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra, and working under Paavo Järvi.

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In December 2024, he made his debut with the Royal Danish Opera and the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, leading a production of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. Earlier in the season, he served as Assistant Conductor to Marie Jacquot with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the Euskadiko Orchestra, as well as to Marta Gardolińska at the Lorraine National Opera, working on Haydn’s The Creation.

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He was a semifinalist of the Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors Award at the Salzburg Festival, where he conducted the Mozarteum Orchestra and the Österreichisches Ensemble für Neue Musik on April 5.He was also selected for the final rounds of the 59th International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors, 

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He has conducted orchestras such as the Royal Danish Opera, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, RSO Wien, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, PHACE Ensemble, the Colombian National Symphony Orchestra, the Medellín Philharmonic, and the Iberacademy Orchestra, among others.

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In 2020, he won 2nd Prize at the European Union Conducting Competition in Bulgaria. He has participated in masterclasses with renowned conductors including Marin Alsop, Roberto González-Monjas, and Andrés Orozco-Estrada.

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Born in Medellín, Colombia, Sebastián was initially trained as a chorister and choirmaster. He holds a Master’s degree in Conducting from the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.