Ilyich Rivas, a talented young conductor from Venezuela, was born in 1993. He has been studying conducting with his father Alejandro Rivas (also a Venezuelan conductor who currently is Music Director at Metro State Symphony Orchestra in Denver) since the age of six.

Ilyich was selected this year as one of seven participants from around the world to participate in the prestigious Cabrillo Festival Conductors Workshop in California with Marin Alsop and Gustav Meier.

At 15, he has already been guest conductor of the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra and Evergreen Chamber Orchestra in Colorado, Wright State Chamber Orchestra, Concert Orchestra and Wind Symphony from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, in Ohio, and the Orquesta Simon Bolivar del Tachira in Venezuela in several occasions. In May of 2008, Ilyich was invited to do an intensive conducting seminar at the University of Cincinnati where he had the opportunity to work with renowned conductors Rodney Winther and Mark Gibson.

Starting this fall, Ilyich will be studying conducting with Maestros Marin Alsop and Gustav Meier. Other future plans include appearing in Venezuela as a guest conductor of the Orquesta Simon Bolivar del Tachira, and attending the Glyndebourne Opera Festival in England next summer.

As a pianist, Ilyich has had the opportunity to receive classes with widely recognized performers and professors such as Mr. Rodney Mobley (his current teacher), Amilcar Rivas and Andres Roig from Venezuela, Dr. Tamara Goldstein from the Metropolitan State College of Denver, Dr. Jackson Leung from Wright State University, and Dr. Robert Marshall Auler from State University of New York-Oswego. He was recently awarded first place in the Yamaha and Kawai Piano Competitions in Colorado, featured at the 2008 Metropolitan State College of Denver Piano Celebration, and at the Universidad del Tachira in San Cristobal, Venezuela.

Ilyich Rivas is currently in 10th grade at the Denver School of the Arts where he is a piano major and assistant conductor of the school’s chamber orchestra.