The Argentinian Alejo Perez is one of the most promising conductors of the younger generation. In his home country, he is already receiving regular invitations to the leading orchestras.
Born in Buenos Aires, Alejo discovered music as an autodidact and was at first primarily interested in composing. He started to take piano lessons at the Conservatory and eventually studied composition, conducting and piano at the University of Buenos Aires. In addition, he took a composition course with Franco Donatoni. After graduating, he founded – initially out of his interest in new compositions – the Ensemble XXI. In 1999, his opera Tenebrae, a commission from the Experimental Centre of the Teatro Colon, was premiered in Buenos Aires.
Alejo Perez subsequently moved to Germany for postgraduate studies at the Conservatory Karlsruhe, funded by a DAAD grant. As a student of Peter Eötvös, he took part in orchestra projects throughout Europe. In 2003, he was prize-winner at the conducting competition of the German conservatories. He received various grants, amongst others from Internationale Ensemble Modern Akademie, Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart and Richard Wagner Stiftung.
In the meantime, Alejo Perez has assisted Peter Eötvös several times, most recently at the premiere of Eötvös’ opera Angels in America at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. He has also worked as assistant for Bernhard Kontarsky, Michael Levinas and Michael Gielen. At Opera Bastille in Paris he conducted Matthias Pintscher’s opera L’espace dernier. In April 2005, he conducted a new production of Hans Werner Henze’s opera Pollicino at the Opera National de Lyon.
In his home country, Alejo Perez regularly works with Orquesta Filarmonica de Buenos Aires, Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional Argentina, Camerata Bariloche as well as at Teatro Colon, where he conducted Argentinian premieres of works by Mauricio Kagel. In 2005, he founded the Ensemble Moderna Buenos Aires, which he leads as Artistic Director and makes his debut with the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Chile in 2006.