b.1965
Ariel Quintana nació en Libertador San Martín, Entre Ríos, Argentina, e inició sus estudios de piano a los 3 años de edad. En el Jardín de infantes ya acompañaba al piano a sus compañeros en canciones infantiles.
Culminó sus estudios secundarios y el Profesorado Nacional de Música, especialidad Piano, en el Colegio/Universidad Adventista del Plata, Provincia de Entre Ríos. Continuó sus estudios musicales en el Conservatorio Nacional Carlos López Buchardo, hoy Universidad Nacional de las Artes en Buenos Aires, obteniendo el título de Profesor Superior de Piano. Viviendo ya en Estados Unidos, realizó el Doctorado en Dirección Coral en la Universidad del Sur de California.
Entre sus maestros se destacan: Estrella Gregorio de Steger, Perla Brugola, Waldemar Wensell, Julio Fainguersh, Valdo Sciammarella, Julio Canepa, el Presbitero Jesus Segade.
En la Universidad del Sur de California obtuvo el Doctorado en Dirección Coral bajo la tutela del Dr. William Dehning; estudió con el legendario Dr. Morten Lauridsen y Música Sacra con el Dr. David Willson.
Temprano en su Carrera, en USA, Quintana fundó el grupo de cámara vocal Opus 7, con el cual realizaron múltiples giras europeas. En 2002 Opus 7 fue invitado por la Orquesta Filarmónica de Los Ángeles para cantar la Misa Criolla de Ariel Ramírez en el Hollywood Bowl, en ocasión del primer aniversario del atentado del 11 de Septiembre.
Desde el año 2006 al 2010, se desempeñó como Director Asistente del prestigioso “Los Angeles Master Chorale” dirigiendo asimismo el Coro de Cámara de dicha organización y preparando coros para los maestros Esa-Pekka Salonen, John Adams y Gustavo Dudamel entre otros.
Es compositor de gran cantidad de obras corales. Sus obras han sido publicadas en USA por Alliance Publishing, Pavane Publishing, Santa Barbara Publishing, Fred Bock Publishing y también son distribuidas en Japón por PANAMUSICA.
Actualmente el Dr. Quintana es Director de Actividades Corales en la Universidad de La Sierra, en Riverside, Ministro de Música en la Iglesia Presbiteriana de Hollywood, y Ministro de Música de la Iglesia de La Universidad de Loma Linda, California.
Ariel compone obras a pedido y participa activamente en festivales corales como jurado y dando Cursos de Dirección Coral. Entre sus últimas obras se encuentran: “In Principio” para coro y orquesta de cámara, la música para una película sobre la vida y obra de Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Come before winter” y recientemente el estreno de su Concierto para piano y orquesta.
Born in Libertador San Martin, Entre Rios, Argentina, Ariel Quintana started playing piano at the age of 3. By the time he was in kindergarten, he was playing the piano at school to accompany his classmates in singing. Ariel Quintana finished High School and graduated from the Universidad Adventista del Plata with a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education with emphasis in piano performance, where he also served as arranger and composer for the University Vocal Ensemble. He later earned a Master's Degree in Music, in Piano Performance from the National Conservatory of Music in Buenos Aires. His list of teachers and mentors includes Estrella Gregorio Steger, Perla Brugola, Julio Fainguersh, Valdo Sciammarella, Waldemar Wensell, John Perry and Paul Salamunovich. He also studied choral conducting with John Alexander at California State University Northridge. In 1988, he married mezzo-soprano Helene Urigu, and they moved to Glendale, California. Soon after moving to the United States, Ariel founded the Opus 7 Chamber Singers with a group of friends from Argentina. They met new friends and made three European tours: in 1994, 1995, and 1997. They sung with conductor Lalo Schifrin at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and were invited by the Los Angeles Philharmonic to perform Misa Criolla by Ariel Ramirez for the first anniversary concert of the September 11 events at the Hollywood Bowl. In 1996 he joined the Los Angeles Master Chorale under the direction of Paul Salamunovich, who conducted some of Ariel's arrangements and premiered his “Hodie Christus Natus Est” in December 2000. This piece was also performed at Avery Fisher Hall during the National Convention of the ACDA in New York in February of 2003. It is written for double chorus a cappella and published by Alliance Music Publishing. In 2005 Santa Barbara Publishing released his “Ave verum corpus” that was premiered by the Cathedral Choir of First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood under Ariel Quintana their conductor. Other of Ariel’s compositions have been published by Pavane Publishing, Augsburg Fortress and Fred Bock Music Publishing. His “Mass From Two Worlds” a self-published work, is distributed in Japan by PANAMUSICA. From 2006 to 2010 he was Assistant Conductor of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and has conducted the Chamber Singers as well as the Los Angeles Master Chorale at Disney Hall. He has also prepared the chorus for conductors such as John Adams, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Gustavo Dudamel. Ariel has graduated with a Doctor in Musical Arts from the University of Southern California where he studied Conducting under Dr. William Dehning, Composition with Dr. Morten Lauridsen and Church Music with Dr. David Wilson.
Currently, he is the Minister of Music at Loma Linda University Church, Associate Minister of Music at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood and Director of Choral Activities at La Sierra University. His Christmas motets were performed on December 2016 by the Los Angeles Master Chorale conducted by Eric Whitacre.