The chief conductor of the famed Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Domingo Hindoyan, has hailed the city as "fantastic", and is determined for the venue to be "as powerful as Anfield or Goodison Park".
The Philharmonic is a Liverpool institution, with an impressive reputation that spans across the globe. The passion, creativity and commitment displayed by its musicians and staff was a huge selling point to Domingo, who was named chief conductor in 2021.
Domingo, originally from Venezuela, has been making waves with the orchestra, with upcoming productions featuring the iconic works of music legends including Beethoven, Mahler, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Puccini and more - showcasing his determination to provide devoted audiences with access to the greats.
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After a busy day of rehearsals, the musician sat down with the Liverpool ECHO to discuss his thoughts on the city, and just what led to his position and standing in the industry. Of his decision to make Liverpool his home, Domingo, 42, said: "I find myself in a fantastic city where I feel very comfortable to be here and work here.
"My decision was made on various positive points - first of all, of course, the importance of the orchestra internationally, the legacy, with fantastic recordings, great conductors. Then the city; a wonderful city, [an] international city with a fantastic sport life and cultural life.
"Also, all the projects around the orchestra. The organisation is part of children's education with In Harmony with the youth orchestra, there is also a choir… and ultimately of course, the contact and chemistry of the orchestra itself."
The orchestra boasts composers from all over the world, including talented musicians from England, Germany, France, South America and more. Domingo is keen for locals and residents alike to see that, insisting the Grade II listed venue has "something for everyone".
He continued: "We have music to reflect, we have music to dance, we have music to smile, to cry, and this is a place that is open to everybody. The more that we are here, a fantastic community, the more powerful the city is. This should be - and it is already - but it should be as powerful as Anfield or Goodison Park."
Domingo, an accomplished and decorated violinist, first began playing the instrument at just five years old when he received his first violin as a gift from his mother. Following in the footsteps of his violinist father, Domingo never expected his career to soar to such heights, and credits his success to "a balance between passion, discipline, hard work and talent in a good proportion".
Liverpool has a reputation for being a warm, welcoming city, and Domingo has recognised that during his tenure at the Royal Philharmonic. He said: "Every place is different and special - this one is extremely warm; the people, the audiences are very, very warm. I will never forget in 2019 and 20 and my very first concert as the chief conductor; the orchestra, there is a special chemistry with them and I have a lot of pleasure working with them and basically that is what makes it different."
It's a common adage that if you do something you love, you'll 'never work a day in your life'. For Domingo, that rings especially true - his work "doesn't feel like work".
He explained: "My favourite thing about my job is the fact that this job goes directly to the soul in the sense that we are building - we make music, we play [and] while we play that sound goes directly to the emotions.
"Then, of course at the end of the day, you are tired, extremely tired because you have all this emotion for five or six hours [and] at the same time, getting concentration to build up everything, or you are… very rich, your soul is very rich at the end of the day. You are full of life because this music is history, it's life that was written at some point - or modern history also for the new composers that we love to perform at the Philharmonic Hall."
The new season has already begun, with tickets for a range of productions and performances on sale now. Domingo added: "I just want to welcome the whole city to come."
For further information or to book, click here. Liverpool Philharmonic Hall is based on Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BP.
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