CHOIR CONDUCTOR

Guillermo Vaisman first became interested in choral conducting when he was part of his high school choir, singing Carlos Guastavino’s “Pueblito mi pueblo”. As a choral singer, he performed under the baton of Serge Baudo, Antonio Russo and Alberto Balzanelli at Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, and in New York under the baton of Clara Longstreth, Stephen Black, and Stephen Layton.

Maestro Vaisman’s conducting repertoire includes works from the entire breadth of choral literature of all styles and epochs. Much of his work has focused on the ‘a cappella’ repertoire.  Moreover, one of his areas of particular expertise is traditional choral and folk music of Argentina and South America.

Among the works he has conducted the following stand out: W. A. Mozart’s Missa Brevis in B-flat-major K 275, J. S. Bach’s Magnificat in D-major BWV 243, Bengt Johansson’s Misa “a cappella”, F. Schubert’s Mass in G-major, the complete German romantic choral cycles, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s Op. 59 and Op. 100, Schumann’s Op. 59 and Johannes Brahms’ Op. 37, 62, 74 and 93.

He has also conducted Francis Poulenc’s Four Christmas Motets, Gustav Holst’s Five Songs Op. 12, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil Op. 37, the Tres Epitafios Op. 17 by R. Halfter on texts by Miguel de Cervantes, as well as the suite Indianas and most of Carlos Guastavino’s choral works a cappella.

Both in Argentina and in the USA he has conduted Ariel Ramírez’ “Misa Criolla” and Martin Palmeri’s “Misa a Buenos Aires – Misa Tango”.

For twenty two years (1980-2002) he successfully managed and conducted several choirs of Buenos Aires city and the provinces: Scholem Aleijem Central Chorus, Sagrada Familia of Banfield Choir, Trova del Plata, Chorus of parents San José School of Pergamino, Choir of Cultural Center Justo Suarez of Mataderos, Cappella Buenos Ayres, Senior Choir of Bet-el Community (A.M.I.A), Esquiú Elementary School Children’s Choir, Senior Choir of A.C.I.L.B.A  (A.M.I.A), Club Atlético Sefaradí Argentine Chorus (C.A.S.A), Municipal Choir of Moreno, Cantoría Esquiú, Coral Guadalupe, Encuentro Vocal del Buen Ayre, Chamber Vocal  EUTERPE, ABRIL 21 Vocal Group. 

He was Music Director for the opera Dialogues of the Carmelites by Poulenc at the Teatro Santa María del Buen Ayre from August to November 1988, and for Discepolín, a monodrama by Jorge Areco with music by E. S. Discépolo, directed by Andrés Bazzalo also in 1988.

He conducted the world premiere of the “Preamble for Peace” by Peter Homans, commissioned by the United Nations Singers, at the opening of EXPO China 2010 in Shanghai.

After relocating to New York in 2003, Guillermo Vaisman was appointed Music Director of the United Nations UNSCR Singers in 2004, an avocational group of UN employees which specializes in international folk music and tries to convey the central messages of the UN through concerts and concert tours.