Francisco Valero-Terribas’ musical authority is forged through direct experience as an orchestral instrumentalist, bringing a profound structural understanding to rehearsal and performance. His leadership is organically recognized by musicians and institutions alike, reflecting a European tradition of conductor-musicians shaped by figures such as Bernard Haitink and Lorin Maazel.

 

Originally emerging from the orchestra as a highly respected clarinetist, Valero-Terribas developed his musical identity from within the ensemble before moving naturally to the podium. This dual perspective continues to inform his work as a conductor, shaping an acute awareness of balance, ensemble psychology, and collective breathing, alongside a leadership style that musicians recognize as organic, precise, and reliable.

 

This grounding places Valero-Terribas within the lineage of a European conducting tradition in which authority is inseparable from service to the music and to the musicians. His artistic development was shaped through close professional relationships with figures such as Lorin Maazel, Bernard Haitink, David Zinman, Kurt Masur and Jesús López Cobos, who were representatives of a generation of conductors for whom technique serves structure and gesture serves sound. From this lineage, he has inherited a conception of conducting centered on discipline, long-form architectural thinking, and musical responsibility rather than external display.

 

Throughout his career, Valero-Terribas has been entrusted with projects requiring a high degree of artistic responsibility, including large-scale symphonic and operatic repertoire prepared under demanding circumstances. His capacity to assume leadership with immediacy, clarity, and calm authority has led orchestras to rely on him in complex institutional contexts.

 

His international activity spans Europe, Asia, and the Americas. He has conducted the KBS Symphony Orchestra, the Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra, the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orquestra Petrobras Sinfônica, the Haifa Symphony Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestras of Colombia and Costa Rica.

 

In Spain, Valero-Terribas has collaborated with the Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao, the Orquesta de Valencia, and the Orquesta Filarmónica de Málaga, among others. His long-term association as Associate Conductor of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg involved significant artistic responsibility, most notably the complete Hector Berlioz project for Warner Music, undertaken in close collaboration with John Nelson.

 

His repertoire is centered on the core symphonic and operatic tradition, with a particular affinity for late-Romantic and early twentieth-century works, while maintaining a sustained and natural engagement with contemporary music and premieres. Equally at ease in large-scale symphonic architecture and complex operatic contexts, his work is defined by structural clarity, sound awareness, and the ability to deliver immediate musical coherence in demanding institutional settings.

 

Highly esteemed for his sensitivity when working with soloists, Valero-Terribas has collaborated with artists such as Joyce DiDonato, Erin Morley, Michael Spyres, Alena Baeva, Liviu Prunaru, and Joaquín Achúcarro. His operatic activity encompasses both classical and contemporary repertoire and is complemented by a strong commitment to new music, including premieres of works by João Guilherme Ripper, Avner Dorman, Michael Gandolfi, Nuria Núñez, Marisa Rezende, Emily Cooley, and Oliver Knussen.

 

His professional development has been shaped by sustained work within major institutional contexts. He has served as Assistant Conductor at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia and was appointed Resident Conductor of the Castleton Festival by personal invitation of Lorin Maazel. He was also selected by Marin Alsop to participate in the Cabrillo Music Festival in California, contexts in which clarity of leadership, stylistic awareness, and reliability under pressure were central to the artistic process.

 

His training includes residencies and advanced programs with institutions such as the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the Lucerne Festival Academy, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Järvi Academy. He has worked under the guidance of Bernard Haitink, David Zinman, Kurt Masur, Yoel Levi, Jesús López Cobos, Neeme and Paavo Järvi, Dima Slobodeniouk, Isaac Karabtchevsky, and Johannes Schlaefli.

 

His current activity reflects a phase of consolidation, combining institutional trust with increasing international visibility across major symphonic and operatic platforms, including engagements with the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España, the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira, and the Orquesta de Valencia.

 

 

Selected Quotes

 

“There are only a very few people who are true conductors. Francisco Valero-Terribas is one of them.”
— Lorin Maazel

“He is at the top… A servant-leader… A musician’s musician. Supremely musical… His technique reminds me of Abbado: graceful and efficacious.”
— John Nelson

“One of the most valuable, unquestionable, and effective Spanish conductors of his generation.”
— Scherzo Magazine