Pablo Varela graduated in Orchestra Conducting at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan and studied Composition with Franco Donatoni at the Accademia Perosi in Biella and at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy where he obtained the Diploma of Merit in Composition.
He began his conducting career as assistant conductor to Mark Wigglesworth in Gustav Mahler's Symphony n. 2 with the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and was assistant conductor to Guido Maria Guida in the acclaimed production of Wagner's Ring with the Mexico National Opera.
In 2003 he founded the International Philharmonia of the Californias becoming its Artistic and Music Director from 2003 to 2005.
Don Pasquale, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Il viaggio a Reims, La bohème, Mese mariano, Cavalleria Rusticana, Don Giovanni, L’elisir d’amore are among the operas recently conducted by him as well the world premiere of Mexican composer Victor Rasgado “La muerte pies ligeros” with the Guanajuato Symphony in Mexico.
He has conducted orchestras and ensembles in Italy, Austria, Holland, Venezuela, Mexico, Romania and is often a guest at important international festivals.
He is frequent director of the Mexico National Opera Chorus with whom he has prepared innumerable titles including Die Fledermaus, Orfeo, Dialogues des Carmélites, Les noces, Trionfo di Afrodite, Beethoven’s Choral fantasy and Ninth symphony, Verdi’s Requiem, Quattro pezzi sacri, Otello, Macbeth and Stiffelio, Puccini’s La bohème, Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer and Rachmaninov’s The Bells, to name a few.
Since 2019, he regularly appears as musical director of the ensemble I Solisti Lucani, formed by the very young first parts of the most important theatres in Italy, collaborating with them in recent seasons along with soloists Laura Marzadori, Andrea Manco and Massimo Polidori, Concertmaster, Principal Flute and Principal Cello from the Teatro alla Scala in Milan respectively and also maintains a strong musical relationship with I Solisti Fiorentini, one of the Italian realities of great musical tradition and heritage, made up of musicians who were former principals and actual members of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino which formed an autonomous ensemble in 1981 on the initiative of Maestro Riccardo Muti and Professor Salvatore Villani, former Principal Bass of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.
Last update: May 2025.