Virtuoso conductor Hector Guzman was the recipient of the “Artistic Merit Gold Medal” given by the government of the State of Mexico in 2005 for his contributions to music worldwide and was also the recipient of the 2006 “Artistic Silver Medal” awarded by the government of his native state, Zacatecas.
Maestro Hector Guzman was included in the “Outstanding Musicians of the XX Century” magazine, published in 2000 by the International Biographical Centre in Cambridge, England and, in 2003, a Dallas- based Univision television documentary on Mr. Guzman’s career was nominated for an “Emmy” award. He is the recipient of the “Silver Good Citizenship Medal” from the Sons of the American Revolution for his outstanding contributions to the Arts in North Texas.
A recipient of countless international distinctions such as these, Mr. Guzman is Music Director of the Plano Symphony Orchestra, the Irving Symphony and the San Angelo Symphony all in Texas, USA. In 2004, he was declared winner of the “Seven Conductors-One Baton” International Conducting competition and appointed Music Director of the Jalisco Philharmonic in Mexico.
As guest conductor, Maestro Guzman has appeared with the Monterrey Symphony, Xalapa Symphony, State of Mexico Symphony, UNAM Philharmonic, Philharmonic Society Orchestra, Bellas Artes Chamber Orchestra, the San Antonio and Dallas Symphonies, the Wheeling Symphony, the National Symphony of the Dominican Republic, the Mexico City Philharmonic, the National Symphony of Mexico, the Vivaldi Orchestra of Mexico City, the Collegium Orchestra of Prague in the Czech Republic, the Japan Philharmonic and the Amadeus orchestra in Ruffano, Italy.
He made his Operatic debut with “The Barber of Seville” in 2005 and conducted the Spanish version of the Opera “Frida” in May 2007.
He has also appeared as soloist and recitalist in venues such as the Meyerson Symphony Hall in Dallas, Spivey Hall Distinguished Artists series in Atlanta and the cathedrals of Morelia, Guadalajara and Chartres, among others.
In his native Mexico, Hector Guzman achieved an impressive reputation as an organist by taking first prize in both the “Chamber Soloists” competition and the “Manuel Ponce” National Organ Competition. In the United States, while a student of world famous master teachers Alfred Mouledous and Robert Anderson, he earned further distinction by winning solo competitions at Southern Methodist University and the University of North Texas. In 1978, he gained world acclaim when he became the first Latin-American ever chosen as a finalist in France’s “Grand Prix de Chartres”- the world’s most prestigious international organ competition.
Mr. Guzman holds degrees from the Conservatory in Mexico City, the University of North Texas and Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He has studied with many illustrious conductors including his mentor, Anshel Brusilow, Helmuth Rilling and Carlo Maria Giulini at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy. For several years, he was a protégé of the late Maestro Eduardo Mata, Conductor Emeritus of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
In demand internationally as a conductor and recitalist, Maestro Guzman was accorded the “Outstanding National Young Artist” award from the government of Mexico, the “Golden Lyre” award, given by the Mexican Union of Musicians, the “Meadows” award from SMU, the DeVry Institute’s “Director Par Excellence” award.