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Sometimes, you just don鈥檛 know where life is going to take you.

Alejandro G贸mez Guill茅n first came to 蜜糖直播 Boulder as a violin master鈥檚 student in 2006. This spring鈥攎ore than 10 years later鈥攈e was hooded a doctor of music in orchestral conducting.

鈥淚 was greatly inspired by Gary Lewis. When I was getting my master鈥檚 in violin, he saw me conducting something for the violin studio and encouraged me to apply for the conducting doctoral program.鈥�

Guill茅n, who finished up the last months of his doctoral studies from afar, doesn鈥檛 see conducting as that much of a departure from his days as a violinist. Instead, he sees this new vocation as an extension of the old.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 realize at first that I loved conducting. I guess deep down I wanted to be a conductor, but I didn鈥檛 consciously say it or organize my dreams around it. But I see it as another expression of being a musician.鈥�

Guill茅n grew up in Bogot谩, Colombia, the son of two conductor parents and grandson of the founder of the Bogot谩 Philharmonic Orchestra. He鈥檚 been playing violin since he was 5听years old, and considers music to be a vital part of his upbringing.

鈥淚 could sing before I could talk,鈥� Guill茅n says. 鈥淢y parents say that they took me to symphony concerts as a child and I would point to the violin section and tell them that I wanted to do that.鈥�

Having always known the importance of music, Guill茅n has spent the last year working with with the Chicago Sinfonietta. The program promotes diversity among musicians, conductors and administrators through professional development. Guill茅n splits his time as a professional conductor between Chicago and Bloomington, Indiana, where he is artistic director of the Bloomington Symphony.

鈥淧roject Inclusion is all under the umbrella of diversity and inclusion,鈥� he explains. 鈥淗ow do we give more people access to music, how is classical music a tool for change in the community? I鈥檓 passionate about building community in my own work so it鈥檚 been a perfect fit.鈥�

In addition to the service Project Inclusion offers to underserved communities, Guill茅n says it has provided him with invaluable experience as a conductor.

鈥淭he program truly deals with all aspects that a conductor needs to know in order to be successful. Not just musical experience, but professional experiences. We meet to discuss marketing, fundraising and relationship development, and then we are put in real-world situations with the Sinfonietta.

鈥淚t also led to my appointment as associate conductor for the Fort Worth Symphony, a position I will begin听in the fall,鈥� he adds. 鈥淗elping the fellows secure a professional appointment like this is one of the main goals of the program, and I plan to remain involved with the Sinfonietta as a mentor for the next year.鈥�

Guill茅n says his time in the Chicago community parallels one of his most formative projects during his time at the College of Music, when he and fellow doctoral students Joshua Horsch and Joel Schut helped grow the campus orchestra.

鈥淭hat was one of my most treasured memories. Gary brought the campus orchestra back, along with [graduate students] Michael Boone and Chris Walls before us, but he really let the graduate students take it on. It was kind of our baby. It was a great thing to be able to help build that.鈥�

Though he鈥檚 a full-time conductor with a full plate of outreach activities and performances, Guill茅n says he still finds time to practice his violin鈥攂ecause of something he learned in Boulder.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 emphasize enough how important it is to be your best as an instrumentalist when you鈥檙e a conductor. You also have to learn as much as you can about the history and context of the music you鈥檙e conducting. We鈥檙e always so eager to wield the baton, but you have to get the big picture and focus on the music first.

"Only then will you be able to impart anything through your actions.鈥�