Conductors

Jonás Joya is an orchestral conductor of Venezuelan origin who has resided in Canada since 2018. Jonás began his musical studies at an early age taking violin and music theory classes at the Calcaño Musical Foundation . While in his youth, he was a member of the violin section of the Chacao Youth Symphony Orchestra. Later he joined the Grand Mariscal de Ayacucho Symphony Orchestra as a violinist while at the same time studying music education at the National Experimental University of the Arts. Following his interest in the leadership of classical musical groups, Jonás changed his education major to Orchestral Conducting and obtained a Bachelor of Music (Orchestral Conducting).

On the recommendation of Maestro José Antonio Abreu, Jonás was appointed administrative manager and musical director of the Núcleo Propatria Fundamusical Bolívar, a musical training center for children and teens affiliated with Venezuela’s National System of Children and Youth Orchestras (now the Simón Bolívar Musical Foundation). Jonás held this role for 11 years. During this period he also attended numerous orchestral conducting courses taught by Maestros from around the world including John Farrer, Thomas Clamor, Colins Meters, Herbert Blomstedt, Sung Kwak and Mario Benzecry.

Jonás has been a Guest Conductor with various groups throughout Venezuela: Falcón Symphony Orchestra, Francisco de Miranda Youth Symphony Orchestra, Guárico Symphony Orchestra, Nueva Esparta Youth Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he was the Assistant Conductor at the Teresa Carreño Theatre for operatic and ballet productions such as “Il barbiere di Siviglia” (Gioachino Rossini) and “Romeo and Juliet” (Sergei Prokofiev).

In 2022, Jonás has earned a Master of Music (Orchestral Conducting) at the Venezuela Simón Bolívar University where he also delivered and defended his thesis entitled “Tripartite Analysis of the Twilight of the Hero” Alfredo Rugeles (Venezuelan composer born 1949), in which Jonás uses the tripartite musical analysis technique developed by musicologist Jean-Jacques Nattiez.