2025 has been an extraordinary year for the Minería Symphony Orchestra: from the Mexican debut of Sir Bryn Terfel to John Adams conducting his own violin concerto.
And these historic achievements were made possible thanks to you: the audience that accompanied us throughout the year.
We are an orchestra convinced that music has the power to inspire, unite, and transform lives.
And thanks to you, this dream becomes real at every concert.
With this article, we celebrate one of the most beautiful partnerships that exist in art: that between the audience and its orchestra.
"Going to the Minería Symphony is a family tradition of mine."
Patricia Buendía, lawyer, 39 years old
"I inherited it from my dad, and now I share it with my daughter. This summer, three generations of us will go to hear Tchaikovsky's 'Pathetique.'"
Patricia represents what we are most proud of: being part of family stories.
To be the musical thread that connects generations.
When a grandfather brings his daughter, and she in turn brings her own daughter, the music transcends the stage.
It becomes shared memory, living tradition, emotional legacy.
Thank you, Patricia, for making Mining part of your family history.
Thank you to all the families who return to us year after year.
La Dolce Vita: we start the year with cinema and excitement
On February 11 and 14, we kicked off the year with a program celebrating the seventh art.
La Dolce Vita allowed us to honor two giants of film music: Nino Rota and Ennio Morricone.
Under the baton of Raúl Aquiles Delgado, soprano María Fernanda Castillo Loeza and narrator Juan Arturo Brennan guided us through the masterpieces that have defined Italian cinema.
The evocative power of Rota in his work for La Dolce Vita, 8 ½ , and The Godfather.
The psychological depth of Morricone in his work for Cinema Paradiso, The Mission , and Once Upon a Time in the West.
Thank you to everyone who joined us on those two magical nights.
Many of you told us that this was your first experience with film music in symphonic format.
Others recalled Fellini's films with nostalgia.
Some others discovered Morricone live for the first time.
"Every summer we come from Querétaro to hear the Minería Symphony Orchestra."
Karla Herrera, educator, 79 years old
"We've hardly ever missed a concert since the late '90s. Beethoven always gives me goosebumps. And I've had the privilege of hearing all nine of his symphonies performed by this orchestra."
Karla and her husband travel hundreds of miles every summer.
They leave their home in Querétaro to reunite with their family in Mexico City.
And the Minería Symphony Orchestra is an essential part of that ritual of reunion.
They have witnessed decades of our history.
They have listened to conductors, soloists, and repertoires that marked eras.
Thank you, Karla, for your unwavering loyalty.
Thank you for making every summer a date with music.
Sir Bryn Terfel: for the first time in Mexico!
On May 27, we experienced a historic moment.
Sir Bryn Terfel, the world's most acclaimed Welsh bass-baritone, stepped onto a Mexican stage for the first time.
And he did it with us.
Under the direction of Roberto Kalb, we performed a program that included works by Wagner, Bizet, Boito, Gounod, Puccini, and traditional Welsh songs.
The concert took us on a dramatic journey through the history of stage music. A route that began with the philosophical gravity of Wagner, descended into the seductive hell of Boito and Gounod's Mephistopheles, crossed through Puccini's brutal realism, and ended with the emotional lightness of traditional songs and musical comedy.
Thank you for filling the room to capacity.
"I've made some close friends in the Minería Symphony Orchestra."
Santiago Parra, technology executive, 46 years old
"When my kids go on vacation, they already know they can't count on me on Saturday nights. They already know I'm going to the Summer Season concerts with my friends."
Santiago's story reminds us that concerts build community.
That bonds are forged in the seats of the hall that transcend music.
He and his sister coincided each season with the same couple in the same section.
One day they spoke to each other.
Today they are inseparable friends.
Thank you, Santiago, for showing us that music is also about human connection.
Thank you for building friendships that began at our concerts and are now an essential part of your life.
Summer season 2025: 47 years of tradition
The summer season is the heart of the Minería Symphony Orchestra.
For 47 years, we have been the only orchestra active in Mexico City during July and August.
In 2025, we presented eight programs ranging from the Mexican repertoire to the great works of the universal canon.
We begin with the Mexican premiere of Arturo Márquez's Guitar Concerto, masterfully performed by Pablo Sainz-Villegas.
We discover little-explored sounds with Petra Berenyi's Hungarian cimbalom.
We welcome Colombian director Lina González-Granados and mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges with Songs of Neruda.
We celebrate Mexican talent with Jorge Federico Osorio in Brahms' monumental Concerto No. 2.
We embarked on the monumental journey of Mahler's Symphony No. 3 with two choirs and nearly two hours of music.
We premiere Symphony No. 1 by Juan Pablo Contreras, a commission from Minería that demonstrates our commitment to living composers.
Anne-Marie McDermott treated us to Beethoven in two different versions of the same program.
Thank you for making this season the most successful in our history.
"I came to classical music through jazz"
Eduardo Quezada, medical student, 19 years old
“Because of Miles Davis’s version of *The Concierto de Aranjuez*. I’ll never forget the first time I heard Joaquín Rodrigo’s original version performed live by the Minería Symphony Orchestra.”
Eduardo represents the new generations who find in classical music a universe to discover.
It arrived from jazz.
He arrived with curiosity and an open mind.
He came looking to connect with the origin of a work that had moved him.
And he found in the Mining Symphony the gateway to a new world of sound.
Thank you, Eduardo, for trusting us with your first symphonic experience.
Thank you for showing us that music has no boundaries of genre or age.
John Adams: one of the most important musical events of the century
On August 23 and 24, we experienced the highlight of the season.
John Adams, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, conducted his own Violin Concerto in Mexico.
Augustin Hadelich was the soloist.
The combination was explosive, emotional, perfect.
Stravinsky's The Firebird by Stravinsky closed with sonic fireworks.
For many of you, witnessing a legendary living composer conduct his own work with an orchestra of this caliber was a unique and unrepeatable experience.
Thank you for filling the hall for these two historic concerts.
"What excites me most is seeing John Adams conduct his own violin concert."
Gerardo Peña, retired chemist, 82 years old
"I'm not exaggerating: for me, it's one of the most important musical events of the century."
Gerardo is 82 years old.
It has witnessed decades of musical history.
He has listened to the world's great orchestras.
And for him, seeing John Adams conducting the Minería Symphony Orchestra was a highlight.
Thank you, Gerardo, for helping us to appreciate the importance of these moments.
Thank you for your undiminished passion after so many years of listening to music.
The Beethoven's Ninth : a glorious finale
From August 27 to 31, we close the summer season with five performances of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.
Francesco Piemontesi opened the evenings with Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 27.
Next came Beethoven's "Choral," featuring the orchestra, four vocal soloists, and the Minería Symphony Chorus.
The "Ode to Joy" rang out five times.
Five times the audience gave a standing ovation.
Five times we shared the hope that Beethoven expressed in his last symphony.
Thank you for closing out the season with us in the most glorious way possible.
"Mozart, Dvořák, and Brahms are all well and good, but I've always wondered: what about the Mexicans?"
Rogelio Elizalde, lawyer, 64 years old
"That's why I like coming to the Sinfónica Minería—because over the years I've been able to hear live performances of works by Mario Lavista, Gabriela Ortiz, Ana Lara, Federico Ibarra, and now the premiere of Juan Pablo Contreras' Symphony No. 1."
Rogelio represents the public that demands excellence without sacrificing identity.
Who loves Beethoven but also wants to listen to Revueltas.
Celebrating Brahms but demanding space for Ortiz.
The Minería Symphony Orchestra has commissioned more than fifty works from living composers.
It is one of our most important contributions to national culture.
Thank you, Rogelio, for reminding us of the importance of our work with Mexican composers.
Thank you for demanding that excellence also speak with its own accent.
Mexican program: pride and roots
On September 9 and 10, we present our traditional Mexican Program.
Under the direction of Raúl Aquiles Delgado, we perform works that define our musical identity.
Mariachi music by Blas Galindo opened with festive joy.
Sensemayá by Silvestre Revueltas shook us with its hypnotic ritual.
Rodrigo Garibay was our soloist in Vuelo, for tenor saxophone and orchestra, by María Granillo, filling the hall with contemporaneity and virtuosity.
Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Márquez grew from a whisper to an ovation.
Huapango by José Pablo Moncayo closed with its cross rhythm that ignites the room.
Thank you for celebrating the richness of Mexican music with us.
Thank you for applauding Márquez with the same intensity as Mozart, Revueltas as Beethoven.
Symphonic Christmas: ending the year with hope
On December 5, 7, and 10, we present our concert Symphonic Christmas.
Raúl Aquiles Delgado directed.
Alan Pingarrón sang with the brilliant tenor voice that characterizes this season.
The Minería Symphony Choir filled the hall with heavenly voices.
The Suite of The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky opened with winter magic.
Adam's "Cantique de Noel" reminded us of the spirit of Christmas.
The “Hallelujah” from the Messiah brought us to our feet.
Traditional Mexican Christmas carols connected us to our roots.
José Feliciano's "Feliz Navidad" ended on a joyful and upbeat note.
Thank you for making these concerts a family tradition.
Thank you for sharing the end-of-year celebration with us.
The audience and its orchestra: a musical brotherhood
Throughout the year, we have received testimonials that move us deeply.
Patricia taught us that music can be a family legacy.
Karla showed us that loyalty is built decade by decade.
Santiago reminded us that concerts forge close friendships.
Eduardo showed us that it is never too late to discover classical music.
Gerardo helped us to appreciate the importance of historical moments.
Rogelio demanded that excellence also speak with a Mexican accent.
Each of these testimonials represents thousands of people who make up our community.
People from two centuries—the 20th and 21st—who find in the Minería Symphony Orchestra a place to celebrate life through music.
Thank you for making the Minería Symphony your musical home.
Thank you for making music an essential part of your lives.
Thank you for allowing us to create authentic music that inspires, unites, and transforms lives.
Without you, none of this would be possible.
