Samuel Aguirre
Samuel Agustín Aguirre (Netherlands/Colombia) holds two Master’s degrees in orchestral conducting and oboe from the Conservatorium Maastricht. During his studies between 2018 and 2022, he served as conductor and artistic director of the Limburgs Jeugd Symfonie Orkest (LJSO), where he collaborated, among others, with Vesko Eschkenazy (concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra) and Lei Wang (concertmaster of the Philharmonie Zuidnederland).
In 2022, he conducted a debut concert with the internationally renowned soloists Joyce El-Khoury and Raffaella Lupinacci, together with the Filarmonica dell’Opera Italiana Bruno Bartoletti at the Teatro Mario del Monaco in Treviso, and took part in the International Opera Conducting Competition of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège. This led to invitations as assistant conductor at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège, the Hungarian State Opera, and the Orchestra of the Fondazione Teatro Petruzzelli Bari.
In 2023, he was invited as assistant conductor for productions of Il Trittico at the Hamburg State Opera, as well as La Sonnambula, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Les Contes d’Hoffmann at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège. More recently, Samuel has conducted the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia, and the Sinfonieorchester Basel.
The year 2024 marked his debut at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie–Liège (Belgium) with the new production Patiente, mon cœur, as well as his debut with the Sinfonieorchester Basel at the Stadtcasino Basel (Switzerland), and his first appearance with the orchestra and choir of the Institut Royal Supérieur de Musique et de Pédagogie in Namur (Belgium) in a Puccini gala concert and a concert featuring candidates of the Queen Elisabeth Competition.
In 2025, he conducted Symphonie Fantastique at the Grand Manège Concert Hall in Namur (Belgium) and worked with the Chineke! Orchestra in London, culminating in a collaboration with Sir Simon Rattle at the BBC Proms.
In March 2026, Samuel Aguirre will make his first appearance conducting the Aachen Philharmonic Orchestra.
Previous Conductor:
Harry Vorselen (2025)
Harry Vorselen began his musical career at the age of eight with the Royal Harmony in Thorn. From 1987 onwards, he studied horn with Prof. Erich Penzel at the Conservatorium Maastricht. Even during his studies, he served, among other roles, as principal horn with the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival and the European Youth Orchestra. In these ensembles, he worked with renowned conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Claudio Abbado, Carlo Maria Giulini, Mariss Jansons, and Valery Gergiev.
From 1992 to 2002, Harry Vorselen was principal horn of the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra. He also appeared as a soloist with the Netherlands Wind Ensemble and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam.
In 2010, he completed his conducting studies with Enrico Delamboye, finishing with a final concert at the Rheinische Philharmonie in Koblenz.
In 2012, Harry Vorselen succeeded Pierre Kuijpers as chief conductor of the Junge Bläserphilharmonie NRW. In addition, he has conducted numerous renowned ensembles, including the Student Wind Philharmonic Düsseldorf, the University Orchestra of Amsterdam, the United Harriet Colliery Band Dortmund, Westfalen Winds, and the Bläserphilharmonie Aachen. Since 2022, he has also served as chief conductor of the Aachen Student Orchestra.
Harry Vorselen conducted the Aachen Philharmonic Orchestra at its inaugural concert in March 2025 and again at its second concert in September 2025.