He is currently the Principal Conductor of the Las Palmas Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Zarzuela Season of the Canary Islands.
Between 2017 and 2023, he served as Assistant Conductor to the Principal Conductor of the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra (OFGC), Conductor of the Gran Canaria Youth Orchestra, and Artistic Director of the Educational Concert Season of the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra.
He holds advanced degrees in violin performance (Castilla y León, 2007) and choral conducting (Canary Islands, 2012). From 2012 to 2017, he studied orchestral conducting at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold under Professor Karl Heinz Bloemeke and at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber in Dresden under Professor Georg Christoph Sandmann, where he obtained a Master’s degree in orchestral conducting.
He has worked alongside renowned conductors such as Karel M. Chichon, Daniel Oren, Alessandro D’Agostini, José Miguel Pérez Sierra, and Ramón Tebar. In addition, he has collaborated with opera houses and festivals including: Opéra National de Bordeaux, Lithuanian National Opera, Opera de Tenerife, Opera de Las Palmas, Teatro Pérez Galdós, Teatro Cuyás, Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Opéra de Paris, and the National Opera of Szeged, conducting productions such as Così fan tutte, The Magic Flute, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Carmen, Rigoletto, Nabucco, Aida, Cavalleria rusticana, Tosca, La bohème, La traviata, Don Pasquale, Roberto Devereux, and L’elisir d’amore.
He has conducted an extensive zarzuela repertoire, including Doña Francisquita, La revoltosa, El dúo de la africana, La del manojo de rosas, La dolorosa, El barbero de Sevilla, La verbena de la paloma, La hija del Mestre, and Luisa Fernanda, among others.
He regularly collaborates with leading soloists such as Ermonela Jaho, Ludovic Tézier, Jessica Pratt, Roberto Scandiuzzi, Arturo Chacón, Yulia Matochkina, Nino Machaidze, Daniela Barcellona, Iván Ayón Rivas, and renowned pianist Ivo Pogorelich.
Among the orchestras he has conducted are the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra, Las Palmas Symphony Orchestra, City of Granada Orchestra, Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, Gaetano Donizetti Orchestra, Udine Symphony Academy Orchestra, Detmolder Kammerorchester, North Czech Philharmonic, Nuribom Young Chamber Orchestra, Neue Lausitzer Philharmonie Görlitz, Elbland Philharmonie Orchester, Dresdner Kammerphilharmonie, Erzgebirgische Philharmonie Aue, Slovenian Radio and Television Orchestra, Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, Lithuanian National Opera Orchestra, and the Szeged National Theatre Symphony Orchestra.
In December 2022, he stepped in last-minute to conduct Mahler’s Symphony No. 3, replacing Karel M. Chichon in the subscription season of the OFGC.
Alongside his conducting career, he has also worked as a music editor with the publishing house Mercurio Editorial, contributing to the recovery of various works from the Canary Islands’ musical heritage. He also has an extensive catalog of his own arrangements and compositions for orchestra, choir, and vocal ensembles.
His upcoming projects include La traviata by G. Verdi, as part of the Lanzarote Opera Festival, as well as La revoltosa by Chapí and El dúo de la africana by Fernández Caballero in September, within the 34th Zarzuela Season of the Canary Islands. In addition, he is scheduled to record the album Tiempo del Alisio, sonidos de lava y sal with the Las Palmas Symphony Orchestra in November.
Last updated: April 2025
This material may not be altered without permission. Please discard any previously used biographical information.
Between 2017 and 2023, he served as Assistant Conductor to the Principal Conductor of the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra (OFGC), Conductor of the Gran Canaria Youth Orchestra, and Artistic Director of the Educational Concert Season of the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra.
He holds advanced degrees in violin performance (Castilla y León, 2007) and choral conducting (Canary Islands, 2012). From 2012 to 2017, he studied orchestral conducting at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold under Professor Karl Heinz Bloemeke and at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber in Dresden under Professor Georg Christoph Sandmann, where he obtained a Master’s degree in orchestral conducting.
He has worked alongside renowned conductors such as Karel M. Chichon, Daniel Oren, Alessandro D’Agostini, José Miguel Pérez Sierra, and Ramón Tebar. In addition, he has collaborated with opera houses and festivals including: Opéra National de Bordeaux, Lithuanian National Opera, Opera de Tenerife, Opera de Las Palmas, Teatro Pérez Galdós, Teatro Cuyás, Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Opéra de Paris, and the National Opera of Szeged, conducting productions such as Così fan tutte, The Magic Flute, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Carmen, Rigoletto, Nabucco, Aida, Cavalleria rusticana, Tosca, La bohème, La traviata, Don Pasquale, Roberto Devereux, and L’elisir d’amore.
He has conducted an extensive zarzuela repertoire, including Doña Francisquita, La revoltosa, El dúo de la africana, La del manojo de rosas, La dolorosa, El barbero de Sevilla, La verbena de la paloma, La hija del Mestre, and Luisa Fernanda, among others.
He regularly collaborates with leading soloists such as Ermonela Jaho, Ludovic Tézier, Jessica Pratt, Roberto Scandiuzzi, Arturo Chacón, Yulia Matochkina, Nino Machaidze, Daniela Barcellona, Iván Ayón Rivas, and renowned pianist Ivo Pogorelich.
Among the orchestras he has conducted are the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra, Las Palmas Symphony Orchestra, City of Granada Orchestra, Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, Gaetano Donizetti Orchestra, Udine Symphony Academy Orchestra, Detmolder Kammerorchester, North Czech Philharmonic, Nuribom Young Chamber Orchestra, Neue Lausitzer Philharmonie Görlitz, Elbland Philharmonie Orchester, Dresdner Kammerphilharmonie, Erzgebirgische Philharmonie Aue, Slovenian Radio and Television Orchestra, Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, Lithuanian National Opera Orchestra, and the Szeged National Theatre Symphony Orchestra.
In December 2022, he stepped in last-minute to conduct Mahler’s Symphony No. 3, replacing Karel M. Chichon in the subscription season of the OFGC.
Alongside his conducting career, he has also worked as a music editor with the publishing house Mercurio Editorial, contributing to the recovery of various works from the Canary Islands’ musical heritage. He also has an extensive catalog of his own arrangements and compositions for orchestra, choir, and vocal ensembles.
His upcoming projects include La traviata by G. Verdi, as part of the Lanzarote Opera Festival, as well as La revoltosa by Chapí and El dúo de la africana by Fernández Caballero in September, within the 34th Zarzuela Season of the Canary Islands. In addition, he is scheduled to record the album Tiempo del Alisio, sonidos de lava y sal with the Las Palmas Symphony Orchestra in November.
Last updated: April 2025
This material may not be altered without permission. Please discard any previously used biographical information.
2024-2025 Performances
CARMINA BURANA
31 of May of 2024 Auditorio Alfredo Kraus (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)
31 of May of 2024 Auditorio Alfredo Kraus (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)
CARMEN
18 of March of 2025 Amigos Canarios de la Ópera (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)
20 of March of 2025 Amigos Canarios de la Ópera (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)
22 of March of 2025 Amigos Canarios de la Ópera (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)
31 of May of 2024 Auditorio Alfredo Kraus (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)
31 of May of 2024 Auditorio Alfredo Kraus (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)
CARMEN
18 of March of 2025 Amigos Canarios de la Ópera (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)
20 of March of 2025 Amigos Canarios de la Ópera (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)
22 of March of 2025 Amigos Canarios de la Ópera (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)
Gallery
Multimedia
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Gala Ópera de Las Palmas
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Carmen - Ópera de Lituania
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Reviews
DOÑA FRANCISQUITA. TEATRO pérez galdós. 2022
"[...] el enfoque desde el podio de Rafael Sánchez-Araña fue más que acertado, primando la mesura y acompañamiento a los cantantes y evitando el ímpetu innecesario; la incidencia en los pasajes más elegíacos de la partitura fue clave en su dirección ante una convincente Sinfónica de Las Palmas." Agustín Arocha, Ópera actual
LUISA FERNANDA. TEATRO CUYÁS. 2021
"[...] Rafael Sánchez Araña supo extraer de la OFGC esa energía que, sin abruptos cambios, logró enlazar con los momentos más elegíacos de la partitura." Agustín Arocha, Ópera actual
GALA LÍRICA. AUDITORIO ALFREDO KRAUS. 2022
"Excelente estuvo la Orquesta granacanaria con la más que acertada dirección de Rafael Sánchez-Araña" Cayetano Sánchez, Ópera actual
CONCIERTO ORQUESTA SINFÓNICA DE LAS PALMAS. 2019
"El maestro Sánchez-Araña, absolutamente atento en todo momento a la coordinación entre la formación orquestal y los solistas, logró la adecuada imbricación de todas las partes implicadas.[...] No podía tener mejor resultado este concierto conmemorativo que, con absoluta nitidez, reveló la madurez de una formación orquestal sin ánimo de lucro y preservadora de los valores musicales canarios, con más de 20 años de trayectoria y que, bajo la dirección de Rafael Sánchez-Araña, ha alcanzado un destacado nivel técnico, experiencia formativa y ductilidad en el repertorio. " Juan Manuel Ruiz, Ritmo
Don PASQUALE. TEATRO PÉREZ GALDÓS 2022
"El grancanario Rafael Sánchez-Araña debutó en el podio de la temporada de ACO con nota. No solo sostuvo la tensión de la Filarmónica Gran Canaria en todo momento sin perder la vivacidad necesaria en la ópera bufa italiana, sino que consiguió sin estruendos la comunión con los cantantes. Magnífica su dirección del melancólico solo de trompeta en la introducción del “Povero Ernesto”." Agustín Arocha, Ópera actual
TERCERA DE MAHLER. ORQUESTA FILARMÓNICA DE GRAN CANARIA. 2022
"El enmarañado primer movimiento, que dura tanto como muchas sinfonías completas, fue expuesto con seguridad en su poliédrica sucesión de episodios, desde la llamada inicial de las 8 trompas que reaparece a lo largo del movimiento, a las ominosas intervenciones de los trombones, o las diversas marchas militares, subrayando las intervenciones de la amplísima percusión y los sucesivos crescendos [...] El minueto del segundo movimiento proporcionó la deseada relajación, en un ambiente bucólico de tempi bien balanceados y excelentes intervenciones de maderas y cuerdas, frecuentemente en pizzicato. En el Scherzo, Sánchez Araña recreó convincentemente su carácter onírico, situando a la trompeta de postillón no tras el escenario sino en el vestíbulo de acceso, lo que curiosamente proporcionó un sonido más atmosférico que se difundía por toda la sala sinfónica [...] una vistosa lectura de la Tercera de Mahler, la mejor de las intervenciones de Rafael Sánchez Araña hasta ahora con la Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, que ratifica su trayectoria en ascenso" Juan Francisco Román Rodríguez, Ritmo