Leonardo García-Alarcón, originally from Argentina, moved to Europe in 1997 to study at the Geneva Conservatory under harpsichordist Christiane Jaccottet. His journey into Baroque music began with Gabriel Garrido, and soon after, he founded his ensemble Cappella Mediterranea. In 2010, he became the artistic director of the Namur Chamber Choir and formed the Millenium Orchestra to accompany the choir. Alarcón divides his time between Geneva, where he teaches at the Haute Ecole de Musique, and various European cities, including France, where he is a key figure at the Ambronay Festival and artist-in-residence at the Dijon Opera. He also makes occasional trips back to South America.
Alarcón is credited with reviving Cavalli’s operas, including Elena and Erismena at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, Eliogabalo at the 2016 Paris Opera season opener, Il Giasone in Geneva, and La Finta Pazza in Dijon. He also led the rediscovery of Antonio Draghi’s El Prometeo in 2018. As a conductor and harpsichordist, Alarcón is invited to prestigious festivals and concert halls worldwide. In 2018, he conducted Monteverdi’s Orfeo at the Berlin Staatsoper, and in 2019, he triumphed with Rameau’s Les Indes Galantes at the Opéra Bastille, marking the Royal Academy of Music’s 350th anniversary. He was recognized as the best conductor in Forum Opéra’s 2019 Palmarès.
In 2020, despite disruptions due to the pandemic, Alarcón adapted his concert programs and participated in virtual festivals. He conducted Rossi’s Il Palazzo Incantato in a video recording that was widely praised. His acclaimed discography includes I 7 Peccati Capitali (2016), De vez en cuando la vida (2018), and El Prometeo (2018). His 2021 releases include Rebirth with soprano Sonya Yoncheva, Lamenti & Sospiri with sopranos Mariana Flores and Julie Roset, Monteverdi’s Orfeo, and Le violon selon Bach with violinist Chouchane Siranossian.
Alarcón is a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
