Rafael Galván *
Education:
Artist’s Diploma – Montclair State University
Doctor of Musical Arts – Louisiana State University
Master of Music – Florida International University
Bachelor of Music – Universidad Veracruzana (México)
A native of Mexico, Rafael Galvan Herrera has established himself as an active performer and music educator in Southeast Louisiana. A regular member of the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, concertmaster of the Opera Louisiane, and frequent guest principal with the Amarillo Symphony, Rafael has joined the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra as an acting member for their 2022-2023 season.
Rafael holds music degrees from Universidad Veracruzana (BA), Florida International University (MM), Louisiana State University (DMA), as well as an Artist’s Diploma from Montclair State University. His main teachers include Espen Lilleslatten, Yi-Wen Jiang, and Emmanuel Arias Luna in violin and the Shanghai Quartet, Vermeer Quartet, and Amernet Quartet in Chamber Music. Rafael has also spent several summers at the Aspen Music Festival, the National Orchestral Institute, and on tour with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas. An avid chamber musician, he has performed in many cities of the US, Mexico, Spain, and Austria.
Rafael has always valued music education everywhere he goes and he has been a faculty member of multiple music programs such as the Greater Miami Youth Orchestras, the Preparatory Music Program at Montclair State University, the New Jersey Youth Symphony, and the “Rhythms For Life: A String Orchestra Program for Minority Youths at Morris County, NJ” where he also held the Artistic Director position.
Rafael and his wife, cellist Jaime Compton-Galvan, currently live in Baton Rouge where they maintain a thriving violin and cello private studio. When Rafael is not performing or teaching, you can find him riding his bicycle around town, cooking some spicy salsas, or waiting for the next FIFA World Cup.