Raúl Delgado Navarro is a Cuban–Mexican professional musician, double bassist and orchestral conductor, currently based in Mexico. With an extensive background in classical performance, music education and artistic leadership, he has developed a reputation for artistic excellence, musical discipline and educational commitment, known for his creative and engaging approach to music-making. His musical approach is marked by discipline, creativity and a deep commitment to excellence in both performance and teaching. Beginning in autumn 2025, he will serve as conductor of the Ohio State Campus Orchestra, while pursuing a Master of Music in orchestral conducting under the tutelage of Prof. Miriam Burns.

He began his formal studies at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory of Music in Havana, where he served as principal double bass for both the Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra. During this time, he won several major awards, including First Prize in Chamber Music Interpretation and First Prize and Grand Prize at the International Double Bass Competition “Orestes Urfé in Memoriam.”

Delgado Navarro pursued higher education at the University of the Arts of Cuba, graduating in 2011 with the distinction of Gold Title, awarded for academic and artistic excellence. As principal double bass of the university’s symphony orchestra, he further refined his skills; in 2010 he was recognized with a certificate of excellence in performance. In 2015, he received a scholarship to join the studio of Prof. Nabil Shehata at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München (Germany), where he broadened his artistic and technical capabilities in European musical environments.

His professional experience as a performer spans several notable ensembles. He played with the Ars Longa Baroque Chamber Orchestra (2008–2012), the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Cuba (2009–2014) where he also appeared as a soloist (2013), and held the position of assistant principal double bass at the Bayerische Filmfoniker in Munich (2015–2016). In Mexico, he has been an active member of numerous orchestras including the Esperanza Azteca Network, the Durango Symphony Orchestra (principal double bass, 2020–2022) and the Camerata Filarmónica Latinoamericana (2019–2023). Since 2018, he has served as Professor of double bass and chamber music at La Salle Laguna University (Durango, Mexico).

Delgado Navarro’s commitment to music education is demonstrated through his teaching roles in youth orchestras across Mexico, including the Esperanza Azteca Oaxaca, Zimatlán, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, and Coahuila orchestras. He has also offered masterclasses and pedagogical support at various academic institutions.

In recent years, Raúl has focused on developing his career as a conductor. His training includes numerous international orchestral conducting courses, such as:

“Passion for Conducting Academy” with Eduardo Portal Martín, artistic director of Antares Ensemble (London, 2023); masterclasses with Uri Mayer, professor at the University of Toronto and former music director of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (2023); courses with Percival Álvarez, director of the Wagner Center and former assistant conductor of the Guanajuato University Symphony Orchestra (Mexico, 2023); the Conducting Diploma from the Center for Contemporary Musical Studies of Veracruz (2023); advanced guidance from Nabil Shehata, artistic director of the Philharmonie Südwestfalen (Germany, 2023–2024); and a conducting course with Iván del Prado and the Chihuahua State Philharmonic Orchestra (2023).

Delgado Navarro currently serves as the Musical and artistic director of the La Salle Laguna University Symphony Orchestra (Durango) and teaches orchestral conducting at the same university. In 2024, he was invited as guest conductor of the Matanzas Symphony Orchestra (Cuba) and the Camerata Filarmónica Latinoamericana (Mexico). That same year, he gave lectures and masterclasses in orchestral conducting at the University of the Arts of Cuba (ISA), working in collaboration with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory of Music.