Enrique Bátiz

Enrique Bátiz Campbell{{Cite news |last=Macmasters |first=Merry |date=31 March 2025 |title=Falleció el director de orquesta Enrique Bátiz Campbell, fundador de la OSEM |url=https://www.jornada.com.mx/2025/03/31/cultura/a02n1cul |access-date=4 April 2025 |work=La Jornada |language=es}} was born in Mexico City{{Cite news |date=30 March 2025 |title=Muere Enrique Bátiz, uno de los más importantes directores de orquesta de los últimos 50 años |url=https://www.cronica.com.mx/cultura/2025/03/30/muere-enrique-batiz-uno-de-los-mas-importantes-directores-de-orquesta-de-los-ultimos-50-anos/ |access-date=2 April 2025 |work=Crónica |language=es}} on 4{{nbsp}}May 1942.{{Cite news |date=30 March 2025 |title=Fallece el director de orquesta Enrique Bátiz |url=https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/cultura/adios-a-una-figura-central-de-la-musica-clasica-mexicana-fallece-el-director-de-orquesta-enrique-batiz/ |access-date=31 March 2025 |work=El Universal |language=es}} He began piano lessons at age 8{{Cite magazine |date=1 April 2025 |title=Conductor and Pianist Enrique Bátiz has Died, Aged 82 |url=https://theviolinchannel.com/conductor-and-pianist-enrique-batiz-has-died-aged-82/ |access-date=2 April 2025 |magazine=The Violin Channel}} with Francisco Agea, and continued 10 years later with György Sándor. He began to study at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas and moved to the Juilliard School in New York City in 1965,{{Cite news |date=30 March 2025 |title=Muere el director de orquesta mexicano Enrique Bátiz |url=https://www.codalario.com/enrique-batiz/noticias/muere-el-director-de-orquesta-mexicano-enrique-batiz_14015_3_44907_0_1_in.html |access-date=2 April 2025 |work=Codalario |location=Oviedo |language=es}} where he became a student of Adele Marcus and also studied conducting. In 1964, he made several national tours as a pianist, and in 1965 was a semifinalist in the Marguerite Long International Piano Competition in Paris. A 1967 concert tour featured performances with the Łodz and Szczecin Philharmonics. From 1967 to 1970, he continued his piano studies in Poland at the Warsaw Conservatory with Zbigniew Drzewiecki, where he also studied conducting with Stanisław Wisłocki; he graduated there as a pianist.{{Cite web |date=28 August 2024 |title=Enrique Bátiz – Director |url=https://musicaenmexico.com.mx/musica-mexicana/enrique-batiz/ |access-date=31 March 2025 |website=Música en México |language=es}}

Bátiz returned to Mexico in 1969, making his debut as a conductor in the Palacio de Bellas Artes with the Xalapa Symphony Orchestra. In 1970, he was a finalist in the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in Italy.

In April 1971, he was co-founder, director and conductor of the State of Mexico Symphony Orchestra (OSEM). He toured the United States with the orchestra in 1975, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1984.

From 1983, he was music director of the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra until 1989. Outside of Mexico, Bátiz was named guest conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1984, and conducted them in recordings. He was both guest conductor and musical advisor of the symphony orchestra of Guanajuato.

In 1990, he resumed his directorship of the OSEM. They toured in the United States in 2008 and in Europe and China several times. In 2018; Bátiz stood down as music director, nominally for health reasons related to Parkinson's disease.

Batiz died on 30 March 2025, at the age of 82.

Batíz made some 145 recordings: As a pianist, Bátiz made a series of recordings for Polish and Salzburg broadcasters. In 1997, Bátiz and the OSEM recorded Tchaikovsky's six symphonies and other works, Schumann's four symphonies and the four symphonies by Brahms. He recorded for labels such as EMI International, ASV Records, Musical Heritage Society, Naxos, Pickwick, and RPO Records. He recorded with the Royal Philharmonic, Mexico City Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony, the Philharmonia, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and Orchestra della Toscana. He recorded Beethoven's nine symphonies, and the complete orchestral music by Joaquín Rodrigo,{{Cite news |last=Barnett |first=Rob |date=August 2003 |title=Joaquin Rodrigo (1901-1999) / The Rodrigo Edition |url=https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/aug03/Rodrigo_Batiz.htm |access-date=2 April 2025 |work=musicweb-international.com}} music by Manuel M. Ponce and Georges Bizet, and eight volumes of Mexican music. He conducted the first digital recording of the Bachianas Brasileiras by Villa-Lobos.

Throughout his career, Bátiz received numerous awards. These include the Presea Bernal in art from the State of Mexico Confederation of Professionals, Rome's International Gold Mercury award (the first given to a Latin American artist) and the Jose Marti and Tlatelolco's Eagle medals. The Mexican Union of Theatrical and Musical Broadcasters named him the most distinguished artist of the year four times (1971, 1981, 1983, and 1996). In 1986, Brazil awarded him the Rio Branco medal for making the first digital recording of the nine Bachianas Brasileiras by Villa-Lobos. In 1991, he received the Mozart medal given by the Domecq Cultural Institute. In 1994, because of his contribution to the musical culture of the State of Mexico and the musical world, he received the Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz award for Arts and Letters. In recognition of his achievements, he was declared Mexiquense Destacado, (Outstanding Mexican).

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Category:1942 births

Category:2025 deaths

Category:21st-century classical pianists

Category:21st-century Mexican conductors (music)

Category:21st-century Mexican male musicians

Category:Juilliard School alumni

Category:Mexican classical pianists

Category:Mexican male classical pianists

Category:Mexican male conductors (music)

Category:Southern Methodist University alumni