Colombian conductor André Orozco-Estrada has been recently named as the newly appointed Music Director of Orchestra RAI, an Italian radio symphony orchestra. Orozco-Estrada made his debut with the orchestra in May 2022, conducting a concert featuring compositions by Richard Strauss. Starting from October 2023, he will assume the role permanently.

Orozco-Estrada, originally from Medellín, Colombia, initially pursued a career as a violinist before transitioning to conducting at the age of 15. He received training from Uroš Lajovic at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Vienna, an institution where he now also teaches.

From 2014 to 2022, Orozco-Estrada served as the Music Director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra, and from 2020 to 2022, he held the position of Chief Conductor with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

During the current season, Orozco-Estrada is leading various prestigious orchestras including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the NDR Elbphilharmonieorchester, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de France, and the Israel Philharmonic.

Expressing his gratitude and excitement, Orozco-Estrada stated, "It is an immense honor for me to be here today and take on the role of Principal of the National Symphony Orchestra of Rai: a remarkable orchestra that I had the pleasure of encountering exactly one year ago, in May 2022. The success of that concert ignited a mutual desire in both myself and the orchestra to collaborate in a more permanent capacity, and now we are thrilled to announce my first season as the new Principal. I am delighted because this orchestra has a rich history, has collaborated with exceptional musicians, and offers tremendous opportunities for a conductor. I am truly grateful for this opportunity."