“ La gran profesionalidad y el trabajo realizado por Giancarlo Guerrero con la Orquesta, exigente a la vez que creativo, resultó en una magnífica velada. The great professionalism and work realized by Giancarlo Guerrero with the Orchestra, at once demanding and creative, resulted in a magnificent evening. ★★★★★ ”
— BACHTRACK (ES) | OCTOBER 2024
“ Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero and his Polish forces deliver exceptionally powerful and enchanting performances. Wow.”
— BBC Music Magazine on Szymanowski CD | August 2024
“ [Guerrero’s] curatorial and interpretive creativity set a high bar… Something tells me Guerrero will have no problem leaving his mark.”
— Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune | July 2024
“ Guerrero allowed each section of the orchestra to blossom fully while in the spotlight. But he melded the changes of mood and texture into a seamless, engaging whole. The players were obviously listening closely to one another, making the piece sound spontaneous and fresh.”
— Wynne Delacoma, Chicago Classical Review | July 2024
“ Guerrero demonstrated a robust conducting style, and the orchestra delivered”
— Louis Harris, Third Coast Review | July 2024
“ Guerrero elicited precise playing from the orchestra in his well-defined and articulated interpretation that was both bold and effusive.”
— Utah Arts Review | May 2024
“ There’s nothing understated about the conducting of the Grammy award-winning Guerrero, as pugnacious as his surname might suggest, but also given to a bit of dancefloor shimmying on the podium. A showpiece like Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra suited him well, with the virtuoso playing from the BBCNOW in every department – sounding brilliantly in the Brangwyn Hall acoustic – allowing him to bring a raw, rhythmic bite to the music.”
— The Guardian, BBC Orchestra of Wales 2024
“ From the outset Guerrero’s conducting was marked by a sense of carefully sketched-out space, a sonic architecture of crystalline clarity.”
— Stuff | September 2023
“ Guerrero and the orchestra made every moment of it sizzle.”
— Datebook, S.F. Chronicle | May 2023
“ Visiting conductor Giancarlo Guerrero, who has been engaged with this work since its 2022 premiere, deftly held the pieces together. By implicitly placing today’s activism in relationship to these sharply etched moments drawn from the history of the struggle, ‘Her Story’ ultimately sounds both a viscerally moving tribute and a forceful call to continue the fight”
— Boston Globe on Julia Wolfe Her Story, 2023
“ Guerrero layered the various elements with care and restraint.”
— Boston Globe on Gorecki, 2023
“ A baton-less Guerrero kept the orchestral forces churning in a fiery zest that, by the end, brought the audience to its feet.”
— ArtsFuse on Julia Wolfe Her Story Premiere 2023
“ He had a terrific partner, too, in Giancarlo Guerrero, the Costa Rican conductor whose 13-year tenure as music director of the Nashville Symphony has given that orchestra a reputation for adventurous programming and execution. Guerrero’s San Francisco Symphony debut revealed a performer of seemingly unstoppable energy, a quality that infused the entire program. ...it certainly gave an enticing glimpse of Guerrero’s muscular, extroverted conducting style, and of his wide-ranging musical interests. Throughout the afternoon, Guerrero proved a vibrant, commanding podium figure, with a clear and exacting beat and a gift for shifting between ferocity and tenderness. I’m already looking forward to his return.”
— Joshua Kosman | SF Chronicle Review April 2022
“ You will not find a livelier, more volcanic conversationalist than Guerrero in classical music, and certainly not a more ferocious advocate for music education.”
— San Francisco Classical Voice | March 2022
“ Guerrero — the music director of the Nashville Symphony and a grinning presence with expressive fingers and a shiny suit — led a subtly energetic performance, bringing out both the delicacy and the darkness in the third movement and the Schubertian wistfulness in the fourth.”
— The New York Times, on Guerrero's Debut with the New york philharmonic, october 2021
“ The uniformly first rate performances by members of the São Paulo Symphony under the vital and sensitive direction of Giancarlo Guerrero are excellently engineered, making the whole disc a joy from start to finish–a true voyage of discovery and delight.”
— CLASSICS TODAY | APRIL 2020
“ Giancarlo Guerrero, who has demonstrated his flair for contemporary music in previous visits, had the rhythmic challenges under control... Guerrero, the chorus, and the children’s choir created a pulsing, glowing nimbus of comforting sound.”
— Bach Track | March 2020
“ Of all the conductor relationships the Boston Symphony Orchestra has built over the last decade, the partnership with Giancarlo Guerrero has proven to be one of the most satisfying”
— Boston Classical Review | February 2020
“ Guerrero’s reading was smartly paced, thoughtfully shaped, and well-balanced...Guerrero drew playing of vibrant energy and precision from the BSO. ”
— Boston Classical Review | February 2020
“ Guerrero led with a sense of occasion. In the Sanctus movement, “Hosanna in excelsis!” burst forth with the fullest fortissimo heard in many weeks. And in the closing In Paradisum, the conductor drew out the music’s sublime tranquility, showcasing the crystalline voices of the children’s choir.”
— The Boston Globe | February 2020
“ Under the direction of its newly appointed music director, Giancarlo Guerrero, the ensemble gave a strong performance that sparkled with myriad orchestral timbres and precise rhythmic drive…Under Guerrero, the Wrocław Philharmonic displayed precision and an endless tonal palette. Their command of rhythm contributed to a contagious performance.”
— Palm Beach Daily News | January 2020
“ (Guerrero) oozes self-confidence and, what is even more valuable in conductors, genuine mastery. That was generally the rule in this splendid concert.”
— Jay Harvey Upstage | January 2020
“ a mature orchestra led by a conductor with unparalleled flair and passion…A generous double encore was quite possibly the most delightful example this reviewer has ever seen of a conductor as one with his orchestra.”
— Splash Magazine, Chicago | January 2020
“ Leading the ensemble was conductor Giancarlo Guerrero, who also serves as music director of the Nashville Symphony and principal guest conductor of Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Orchestra. Atop his stellar command of coordination, Guerrero was a dramatic delight to watch, adding visual weight to the concert’s most climactic moments and enlivening those that were more routine.”
— Palm Beach Daily News | January 2020
“ Among the various conductors who have made a commitment to program contemporary American music, Giancarlo Guerrero and his Nashville Symphony Orchestra have had an exceptional record in locating and realizing music that is both rigorous and accessible.”
— All Music Guide | May 2018
“ Giancarlo Guerrero, a five-time Grammy winner whose charismatic conducting and attention to detail brought to life the Mahler “Resurrection” Symphony in a performance that drew sustained cheers from the audience. Vigorously cuing the orchestra with incisive and emphatic gestures, Guerrero left no doubt about the depth of his acquaintance with the Mahler.”
— Seattle Times | September 22, 2017
“ Guerrero, music director of the Nashville Symphony, is a pillar of the Cleveland Orchestra family, a relative rarely far removed and always welcome…the orchestra had a guaranteed winner on its hands, and succeeded once again in sending listeners home with much for which to be thankful.”
— Cleveland Plain Dealer | November 27, 2017
“ Under the baton of Giancarlo Guerrero…the whole evening was about as electrifying as Tanglewood can be.”
— Boston Musical Intelligencer | August 12, 2017
“ As the orchestra played the Ninth Symphony’s final, soothing D-flat major chord, a tonality that all but evaporates into a mist of silence, one could hear a proverbial pin drop inside the Schermerhorn...His interpretation of Mahler’s last completed symphony (and de facto final testament) was spectacular from beginning to end...an unforgettable experience”
— Nashville Scene | March 2, 2015
“ With a million facial expressions and body gestures, Guerrero is a trip to watch. But close your eyes and you’ll hear showmanship and accuracy both. Without chatting up the audience, he still exudes personality while keeping the focus on the music. SPAC should keep bringing him back regularly.”
— Albany Times-Union | August 22, 2013
“ The Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, led by Giancarlo Guerrero, lashed out ferociously as Butterfly’s plight bore down on her. But the transparency, sweetness and poetry that Guerrero and the group brought Puccini’s lyricism were even more arresting.”
— Houston Chronicle | January 24, 2015
“ Giancarlo Guerrero, principal guest conductor for the orchestra’s Miami residency, is an expert accompanist. He deftly blended and balanced Rodrigo’s piquant wind and string writing without overpowering his soloist. Rhythms were crisp and snappy, the unison violins sounded lustrous and brash trumpet interjections in the finale perked up the ears…Guerrero managed to bring out the poetry amid Respighi’s wide-screen panorama of orchestral colors.”
— Miami Herald | November 2014
“ Giancarlo Guerrero, principal guest conductor of the Clevelanders’ Miami residency, excels at large-scale orchestral showpieces and he was clearly in his element with this massive 50-minute work.”
— South Florida Classical Review | March 22, 2014
“ If you didn’t leave this orchestral riot feeling a little woozy, you probably missed something…Whether the BSO chose Giancarlo Guerrero to conduct [Adams’ “Harmonielehre],” or he chose it to conduct, the match seemed like an ideal fit. His all-over-the-podium energy communicated itself to the oversized orchestra, which coped heroically with minimalism’s piled-up rhythms and repetitions.”
— Berkshire Eagle | August 8, 2016
jANUARY 5, 2021 - john adams: my father knew charles ives and harmonielehre - nashville symphony and giancarlo guerrero release album on naxos january 15 LINK june 12, 2020 - aaron jay kernis: color wheel and symphony no. 4 - nashville symphony and giancarlo guerrero kick off string of new releases on naxos celebrating three of america’s most prominent contemporary composers link January 2, 2020 — Giancarlo Guerrero and the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic on tour in Florida January 10-14, 2020 LINK December 17, 2019 – Giancarlo Guerrero brings the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic to the US January 10-February 1, 2020 LINK April 15, 2019 – Jonathan Leshnoff: Symphony No. 4 “Heichalos” • Guitar Concerto • Starburst On Holocaust Remembrance Day 2019, Nashville Symphony, Giancarlo Guerrero, and guitarist Jason Vieaux release World Premiere Recordings of works by Jonathan Leshnoff in the first recording to feature the Violins of Hope – historic instruments once played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust. LINK March 28, 2019 – Nashville Symphony, Giancarlo Guerrero, and guitarist Jason Vieaux present World Premiere Recordings of works by Jonathan Leshnoff LINK February 8, 2019 – Nashville Symphony Unveils 2019/2020 Lineup LINK September 24, 2018 – Giancarlo Guerrero leads the Nashville Symphony and Chorus in the World Premiere Recording of Pulitzer-Prize-winning composer John Harbison’s Requiem LINK May 10, 2018 – Rare Historic Violins Take the Spotlight at Nashville Symphony Concerts on May 31-June 2 LINK October 12, 2018 — Giancarlo Guerrero leads the Nashville Symphony and Chorus in the World Premiere Recording of Pulitzer-Prize-winning composer John Harbison’s Requiem - LINK February 9, 2018 — Giancarlo Guerrero and the Nashville Symphony Celebrate a GRAMMY Win for their Naxos recording of Jennifer Higdon's All Things Majestic as they Announce the Release of Their Latest Album of World Premiere Recordings of Contemporary Masters. Featuring three of the orchestra’s principal musicians, new recording includes Wind Concertos by Behzad Ranjbaran, Frank Ticheli and Brad Warnaar. - Link november 16, 2017 — Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon has appointed Giancarlo Guerrero as its new Principal Guest Conductor. Nashville Symphony’s Music Director will begin a three-year term in August 2018, conducting up to four weeks with the orchestra each season. - Link november 10, 2017 — Nashville Symphony & Giancarlo Guerrero World Premiere Recordings of TERRY RILEY: The Palmian Chord Ryddle & At the Royal Majestic First album of Riley's orchestral works in 25 years - LINK june 9, 2017 — Giancarlo Guerrero Named Music Director of the Wrocław Philharmonic at the National Forum of Music in Poland - LINK December 6, 2016 — Michael Daugherty's Tales Of Hemingway, American Gothic & Once Upon A Castle earns three GRAMMY® nominations for the Nashville Symphony, Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero, cellist Zuill Bailey and the composer himself- LINK SEPTEMBER 19, 2016 — Nashville Symphony Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero Signs Five-Year Contract Extension, Committing to the Orchestra Through 2024-25 Season - LINK