Hailed for his “expert direction” by the Fanfare magazine, Paraguayan conductor Ernesto Estigarribia is highly regarded for his versatility and passionate energy on and off the podium. He is Assistant Conductor of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Quad City Symphony Youth Ensembles. Previous posts include Music Director of the Buffalo Community Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Southeastern Minnesota Youth Orchestras. With a passion for working with young musicians, he is a member of the conducting staff of the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies and frequently appears as conductor and clinician for high school orchestra festivals.
Ernesto has guest conducted the Mankato Symphony, Rochester (MN) Symphony, Oskaloosa Music Festival Orchestra, Orquesta de Cámara del Centro del Conocimiento (Argentina), and Orquesta Sinfónica del Congreso Nacional (Paraguay) and has also served as cover conductor for the Minnesota Orchestra. In 2016, Ernesto conducted the recording of muby Brazilian composer João Ripper with violist Korey Konkol and the University of Minnesota Camerata. In addition to symphonic performances, Ernesto has led numerous opera productions including Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Mozart’s Idomeneo, Britten’s Albert Herring, and Zimmermann’s Weisse Rose.
An accomplished violist, he has performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician. Ernesto holds degrees from Pittsburg State University and the University of Minnesota where he studied conducting with Mark Russell Smith. In his free time, he enjoys cooking vegan recipes with his wife Sabrina.