Hartt’s New Conductor Aims to Lead Orchestra to New Stages

The process starts long before Stabilito takes the podium. "You need to form an idea, a sonic image of what's happening in the music," he says. "And then the moment you're with the orchestra, you receive a different image from them, and you start molding that image. You're a sculptor, working on the stone, creating the piece of art that you're going to present to the audience."

In his new role as director of Orchestras and assistant professor of Orchestra Studies and Conducting at The Hartt School, Stabilito's task is to shape and mold young musicians, honing their musical abilities and teaching them to work cohesively in an ensemble. Naturally, that requires a lot of trust-but Stabilito says he felt mutual respect from his first encounter with the Hartt orchestra. "Immediately there was a connection and a synergy," he says.

Stabilito comes to Hartt with an impressive pedigree. He began his conducting career in his native Venezuela, with the Caracas Municipal Symphony Orchestra, the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, and the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra, among others. In 2022 he became the music director and conductor of the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association (ORCMA) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, leading the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and overseeing the artistic development of the Oak Ridge Chorus and Chamber Music Series. He has also appeared as guest and cover conductor with ensembles such as the Knoxville Symphony, Nashville Symphony, and Washington Philharmonic.