Born in Gijón in 1971, studied violin and piano at the Music Conservatory in Oviedo.  In 1985, he won the 2nd prize in the “Casa Vienna” contest for young pianists.  In 1991 Mario Rivas entered the “Accademy of Music and Dramatic Arts” in Vienna to study orchestra conducting with K.Österreicher and L.Hager, graduating in 1997 cum laude. In 1995 he won the first prize at the International Competition for Conductors “Dinu Niculescu” in Romania as well as the prize for “Best interpreter of Romanian music”. In 1996 he also won the 3rd prize at the Competition for Conductors in Baden (Vienna) and conducted  THE MAN OF LA MANCHA in Italy. At the ORF Radio Hall in Vienna he conducted the world premiere of opus Drei Bestiarien by T. Krinzinger with the Orchestra Pro-Arte.

 

In 1997 Mariano Rivas was awarded the Magister Artium in orchestra conducting by the Accademy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Vienna, conducting the ORF Orchestra  to great public acclaim. In Gijón and León he conducted the Spanish premiere of Alfonso UND Estrella by F.Schubert.  In 1999 he was a finalist at the “National Competition for Conductors” in Granada and conducted the Granada Symphony Orchestra in various concerts.

 

From 2000 to 2001 he was chorus director of the Oviedo Opera Festival and conducted a concert for the Verdi Centenary with the bass Yevgeny Nesterenko and the Moscow Virtuosi.

From 2001 to 2005 he was assistant director at the Teatro Liceu in Barcelona and to Giuliano Carella at the Teatro Real in Madrid and in Liege; he also was assistant to Marcello Viotti. 

He has worked with Carlos Alvarez and Monserrat Caballé in different concerts and Zarzuela Galas. In 2005 he conducted with the famous spanish bariton Carlos Alvarez as he was the protagonist in PELAGIO by Mercadante with the O.S.P.A. Orchestra, Gijón.  Mariano Rivas has revised and published the musical score of PELAGIO to great acclaim by both the general public and critics.

 

In 2005 he conducted his revised score of PELAGIO. He had the honour to conduct with Montserrat Caballè at the Open Air Festival in Klagenfurt, where she sang the principal aria of the protagonist in PELAGIO, together with other operatic and zarzuela highlights. He conducted the NABUCCO, tournee in France and MADAMA BUTERFLY in Teatro Bolshoi, Minsk, being the first guest conductor. He has conducted the Spanish Radio Symphony Orchestra  and Chorus  (RTVE).

 

Mario Rivas has conducted Zarzuelas in Spain, El gaitero de Xixòn, La Tabernera del puerto, Marina e Doña Francisquita. The last two with the Orquesta Pablo Sarasate and Filarmonica de Màlaga.

 

In 2007 he conducted TOSCA and MADAMA BUTTERFLY with the Frankfurter Symphoniker and Keith Ikaia-Purdy.

 

In 2008 and 2009 he conducted CARMEN with Nancy Fabiola Herrera and CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA in the Plaza de Toros in Gijón, MADAMA BUTTERFLYwith Massimiliano Pisapia at the Teatro Jovellanos in Gijón, THE LITTLE SWEEP (stage director Stefano Monti) and LA CENERENTOLA (stage director Giancarlo Del Monaco) at the Auditorium in Tenerife, and concerts with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Sanremo in Sanremo and Brescia. He also conducted Mercadante’s PELAGIO at the Opera Festival in Martina Franca.

 

In 2010 he will conduct the opera premiere of Tarabella’s CLOWN in Florence with the Orchestra Regionale della Toscana. 

 

Mariano Rivas has worked with reknown stage directors such as Jean Louis Pichon, Giancarlo Del Monaco, Stefano Monti, and Emilio Sagi.

(November 2009)