Gonzalo Acosta

Uruguayan born Gonzalo Acosta moved to England when he was five years old. He studied Violin at the Royal College of Music with Jaroslav Vanecek and attended masterclasses with the Aeolian, Lasalle and Vermeer quartets.
At 21 he took up his first position as Principal Second Violin of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and after a short period of freelancing in London (mainly with the RPO, LPO, LSO and Philharmonia) he became Deputy Leader of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle. A period of further study followed in 1989 with Zakhar Bron in Lübeck, Germany. On returning to the UK Gonzalo guest led orchestras around the country. Orchestras abroad have included L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Geneva), the Real Filharmonica de Galicia (Spain), the Bergen Philharmonic (Norway) and the Opera Orchestra of La Monnaie in Brussels and Orchestra Victoria in Melbourne.
In 1991 he joined as Co-Leader of the orchestra at English National Opera and in 2007 became Associate Leader. 1995 saw his solo debut with Mozart’s Violin Concerto no 5 K219 with the English Sinfonia. In 1994, Gonzalo gave the European Premiere of Uruguayan composer José Serebrier’s Solo Violin Sonata and was then invited to record this work by the composer. In 2000 he made his Uruguayan debut playing Serebrier’s Winter Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.
Gonzalo is a member of the Dussek Piano Trio which performs at Music Societies and Festivals around the country as well as appearances at the Wigmore Hall and the Purcell Room in London. Recordings include the Arensky Trios and a CD of William Hurlestone’s chamber music.
For 13 years Gonzalo was a professor, Chamber and Orchestral coach at the Royal College of Music Junior Department and now has a similar role at Guildhall School of Music also as Conductor and violin teacher. He has coached youth orchestras regularly (eg. National Children's Chamber Orchestra, Harpenden Musicale, Kent, Norfolk and Essex County Youth Orchestras and the orchestra at Imperial College). Having adjudicated for the BBC Young Musician competition, Gonzalo has also adjudicated for competitions at the RCM Junior Department.
Alongside his playing Gonzalo’s conducting commitments continue to increase. Between 2008 and 2010 Gonzalo was Head of Strings at the Latymer Upper School, conducting the Chamber Orchestra. He has also conducted Full String rehearsals at RCMJD, RCM, RAM and GSMD. Gonzalo was Assistant Conductor of the English Schools Orchestra in 2013 and 2014 (Debussy Nocturnes, Mahler 1). At the RCMJD, Gonzalo conducted Sinfonia in a programme of Humperdinck, Sibelius and Delius. He also conducted the JD Symphony Orchestra and performed Rachmaninov’s Symphony no2 in December, 2015. In April 2017 Gonzalo conducted the Kent County Youth Orchestra (also directing Mozart’s Violin Concerto no3) and again in Dec 2017 with Vaughan Williams’s Symphony no2. Gonzalo has been Music Director of the Abbots Langley Orchestra since September 2015 and also Conductor of the Enfield Youth Symphony Orchestra beginning in 2022.
He also conducts the London Repertoire Orchestra regularly. Other guest conducting includes the Kingston Philharmonia, Kensington Philharmonic Orchestra, Watford Symphony Orchestra and the Trinity Orchestra. Gonzalo is Music Director of Grimsdyke Opera, conducting a different opera by Gilbert and Sullivan each month at Sullivan’s house in North London. In the Summer of 2016 Gonzalo won First Prize in the London Conducting Masterclass. In 2021 he conducted West Side Story with the English Schools Orchestra at St John’s Smith Square.
He has been Assistant Conductor to Simone Young with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. In March 2020 he conducted the Surrey Mozart Players at The Menuhin Hall.
Gonzalo is Head of Strings at Wycombe Abbey School, a role he has held for four years. He divides his time with teaching, conducting and a busy schedule of solo concertos.