Dr. Victor Correa-Cruz

Orchestra Director, Assistant Professor of Violin

Music Annex A254
(985) 549-5182
Victor.Correa-Cruz@southeastern.edu

Violinist/Conductor Víctor Correa-Cruz has developed an intense and diversified career in the United States and Europe. As a soloist, he has toured with Ceske Budegovice Symphony, University of South Carolina Symphony, Frolov Chamber Players, Nis Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Extremadura, Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, Camerata del Prado, Orquesta de Cámara de Badajoz, Orquesta de Zaragoza, and “Queen Sofía” Chamber Orchestra.

He has been awarded several prizes such as the Jeunesse Musicales Award, “Villa de Madrid” 1st Prize, and Laureate at the 4th International Quartet Competition of Cremona (Italy).

He has been invited to play in major festivals in Spain (Sociedad Filarmónica de Canarias, Festival Ibérico, Fundación Juan March, Cultural Albacete, Festival de La Rioja, Ministry of Culture National Tour, Caja Madrid, Grupo Vocento, Fundación Eutherpe) and has participated in numerous Music Series in other European countries (Stamford International Music Festival in England, Festival di Monopoli, Festival di Bologna, Primavera di Ravenna in Italy) and the USA (Austin Chamber Music Center, Festivals in South Carolina and Virginia).

Víctor Correa-Cruz has recorded music programs for the Spanish National Public Radio and has been broadcast nationwide presenting Schubert´s Complete Works for Violin and Piano and programs featuring Contemporary American Chamber Music, Czech Music, String Music by Mendelssohn, 20th Century Sonatas and others. He has premiered pieces dedicated to him by Spanish and American composers such as Juan Pérez Ribes, Joaquín Borges, Bik Lee, and Samuel O. Douglas.

Trained in the National Youth Orchestra of Spain and in the Youth Orchestra of European Countries, Víctor Correa-Cruz has later been appointed concertmaster of the Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, Orquesta de Extremadura, Madrid Philharmonic, Spanish Radio Chamber Orchestra, Orquesta de Zaragoza, Camerata del Prado, Orquesta de Cámara de Badajoz and Orquesta Reina Sofía. He has also led two of the most relevant contemporary music ensembles in Spain: Plural Ensemble and Grupo Enigma.

He is a faculty member of the Stamford International Music Festival (SIMF) in England, where he teaches violin and performs with international artists in Chamber Music Series every summer. The British media refer to the SIMF as the “European Retreat for Chamber Music”. He performs regularly as a member of the Laertes Piano Trio based in Madrid and is a founding member of the Mediterranean String Trio, resident ensemble at the “Francisco Tárrega” International Music Festival (Castellón, Spain).

Víctor Correa-Cruz has been invited to play in European and American festivals accompanied by Spanish pianist Paloma González. After the release of their cd “Feeling Spain”, the duo has been enjoying regular international appearances with great success.

Víctor Correa-Cruz has given master classes in Spain, Italy, England, Serbia, Switzerland and the USA. He has shared the stage with renowned artists such as Luiz de Moura Castro, Alberto Nosè, Sven Arne-Tepl, Miriam Kirby, Ashley Wass, Paloma González, Andrés Díaz and Wayman Chin. In Austin Texas, at the Austin Chamber Music Festival, Dr. Cruz has offered master classes and performed at its prestigious cycle, where other first-class artists such as the Tokyo String Quartet, Fine Arts String Quartet, Viena Piano Trio, Matt Haimovitz, Christopher O´Riley and Michelle Schumann, perform regularly.

Born in Spain, Víctor Correa-Cruz earned his degrees in Violin and Chamber Music at El Escorial and Madrid Conservatories, where he studied with violinist Pedro León. He was a Violin major at Indiana University (USA) where he finished his Master´s Degree as a student of Nelli Shkolnikova, and participated in both Joseph Gingold and Franco Gulli´s master classes. Dr. Cruz also attended courses at the Escuela Superior Reina Sofía (Madrid) where he was a student of Zakhar Bron.

He has been guided at international workshops by other teachers such as: Uri Pianca, Lorand Fenyves, Ruggiero Ricci, Menahem Pressler (Beaux Arts Trio), Gyorgy Sebok, Rostislav Dubinski (Borodin Quartet), Georges Janzer (Vegh Quartet), Piero Farulli (Quartetto Italiano) and the Brodski Quartet.

His interest in orchestral conducting made him move to the University of South Carolina to earn a doctoral degree in Conducting under maestro Donald Portnoy. At this institution he was awarded the “Manuel and Rose Mary Álvarez” conducting prize. Dr. Cruz has premiered pieces by Spanish composer José Luis Turina in the United States along with his lectures on this composer, and has worked closely with important American composers like Roberto Sierra, Libby Larsen, Stephen Paulus and Samuel Jones, and conductors Paul Vermel and Peter Jaffee.

The critics have acknowledged his talent as a conductor on many occasions. In 2005 he became principal conductor of the “Adolfo Salazar” Symphony Orchestra based in Madrid. Since then he has toured throughout Spain and other European countries with successful performances praised by the media.

In 2010 Víctor Correa-Cruz founded the Orquesta de Cámara Extremeña, with selected musicians from Extremadura (Spain). Acting as its concertmaster and conductor, the ensemble has been acclaimed as one of the most solid and promising groups of the Spanish new generation.

He has conducted at International Orchestra Festivals in Spain (Murcia, Zaragoza, El Escorial and Extremadura) and has been invited to conduct in Europe (Portugal, Italy, Serbia, Poland) and North and South America. His tours leading the Christmas Classical Orchestra presenting music for the New Year´s Concert, have received enthusiastic reviews. He has guest-conducted at the renowned “State Opera Ruse” in Bulgaria.

As a scholar, Víctor Correa-Cruz has published José Luis Turina: Aesthetic and Stylistic Features through the study of his Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (University of South Carolina, 2005). He has written numerous articles for the Vitela Magazine, published by the Extremadura Culture Department, dealing with different topics related to arts and music. He has also rescued forgotten pieces by Spanish composer Salvador Bacarisse.

Before joining the faculty at Southeastern Louisiana University in 2017, Víctor Correa-Cruz was the head of the String Quartet Department at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Salamanca (Spain) and taught Violin and Orchestra in Madrid, at the prestigious Conservatorio “Adolfo Salazar”. A significant number of his students have won national and international awards.

Along with his academic activities, he keeps developing an intense artistic career as a chamber musician, soloist and conductor.