Thursday, November 14, 2024
This fall, more Longy alums are making orchestral moves. Iván Valbuena Paez (MM ‘15) and Gil Cruz (MM ‘10) are the latest to receive new appointments—Valbuena Paez to associate principal clarinet and E-flat clarinet of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Cruz to principal trombonist of the Miami City Ballet Orchestra.
“I’m looking forward to performing my favorite pieces with a world-class orchestra and gaining more experience in my favorite auxiliary instrument, the E-flat clarinet,” said Valbuena Paez.
Iván Valbuena Paez and Gil Cruz
Remarked Cruz, “As the new principal trombonist for the Miami City Ballet Orchestra, I am most looking forward to the holiday season and getting to perform Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. It’s always been a dream of mine to play with a ballet orchestra and now getting to take part in this tradition is honestly a dream come true.”
Dr. Iván Valbuena Paez boasts an international career as an orchestra performer, soloist, and educator. Before joining the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for the 2024-25 season, he served as assistant principal clarinet and E-flat with the San Antonio Philharmonic Orchestra; principal clarinet with the New Mexico Philharmonic Orchestra; and second clarinet with the Mid-Texas Symphony.
Valbuena Paez co-founded A Dos Music Project, a Latin American clarinet duo expanding the horizons of Latin sound by performing traditional music with non-conventional instrumentation and demanding arrangements.
Originally from Miami, Florida, Cuban American trombonist Gilberto “Gil” Cruz is a multi-genre performing artist who has performed and collaborated with professional ensembles such as the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Florida Grand Opera, Naples Philharmonic, and Palm Beach Symphony, and with renowned artists like Andrea Bocelli, Gloria Estefan, Michael Feinstein, and Idina Menzel.
In addition to his role with the Miami City Ballet Orchestra, Cruz has been a principal trombonist for the Symphony of the Americas in Fort Lauderdale since 2011. He recently completed his Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Maryland, where he studied with Matthew Guilford. He also holds a bachelor’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music and a master’s from Longy.