Hugo Saavedra, Trombone

Hugo Saavedra is an internationally acclaimed trombonist and educator whose career spans orchestral, solo, and chamber music performance across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. His musical journey began at age 12 in his hometown of Ibagué, where his passion for the trombone quickly flourished into a life of musical excellence.

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In 2010, Hugo earned first prize at the National Trombone Festival “Cien años – Cien Trombones” in Bogotá. The following year, he won first place in the “Young Soloists” competition with the Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, and in 2013, he secured first prize as a member of the National Trombone Quartet at the National Quartet of Trombones competition.

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Since 2011, Hugo has served as principal trombone of the Colombian Youth Philharmonic, performing in prestigious venues across Brazil, the United States, Germany, Austria, and beyond. He has performed at the Pacific Music Festival in Japan under Valery Gergiev, collaborating with musicians from the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras, and toured Germany with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and musicians from the Lucerne Festival, performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 under Daniel Harding.

Hugo has also appeared with renowned ensembles such as the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, New World Symphony, Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra, and the Joffrey Ballet. He is a regular performer with leading orchestras in the U.S., including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, with whom he performed at Carnegie Hall, the Chicago Philharmonic, Chicago Sinfonietta, Elgin Symphony, and Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra.

He is currently a Fellow with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, where he has worked alongside CSO musicians in both artistic and community initiatives. Hugo was also named a finalist in the 2024 Sphinx Competition in Detroit, a prestigious recognition for Black and Latinx classical musicians in the U.S.

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Hugo continued his formal studies at Northwestern University with Michael Mulcahy and Jay Friedman, and at Roosevelt University. His work reflects a commitment to artistic excellence and to promoting diversity and social change through music.

A passionate educator and mentor, Hugo is on faculty at the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras (CYSO) and teaches in several leading educational and social impact programs in the Chicago area, including Ravinia’s El Sistema Brass, the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, and Christian Liberty Academy. His students have achieved notable success, including top honors at the National Chamber Music Competition, and have gone on to study at top institutions.

In 2023, Hugo recorded an album of historic Latin American classical repertoire, submitted as a Latin Grammy project, with the goal of promoting underrepresented composers and celebrating Latin cultural heritage in classical music.