Emilio Gutiérrez Tlacaelel
 

 

A lyrical artist from Mexico, Emilio Gutiérrez Tlacaelel deploys his voice and his thoughts at the crossroads of ancient music, the living traditions of Mexico and contemporary creation thanks to the Nikan Ompa ensemble, which he founded in 2020. First trained at the National School of Music in Mexico City (First Prize Francisco Araiza 2016) and young artist of FONCA (2014-2017), he continued his training in Europe, where he was awarded the Turquois Foundation scholarship in Monaco, at the Rainier III Conservatory (2017) and at the Académie de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo FIPAC (2018), then at the Haute École de Musique de Genève (2018-2023) and at the ESMUC in Barcelona (2024-2025).

 

He devotes himself mainly to choral art and ancient repertoires, which allowed him to gain experience and rub shoulders with the best musicians in the field, and refine his ideas that he later put into practice with NikanOmpa. He performs with prestigious ensembles such as the Namur Chamber Choir, the Pygmalion Ensemble, the Baltasar Neumann Ensemble, Il Gardellino, Cantatio, the Lausanne Vocal Ensemble and Utopia. He also performs on the most important stages and festivals in Europe, such as the Aix-en-Provence Festival, the Salzburg Festival, the Baden-Baden Autumn Festival, the Paris Opera, the Berliner Philharmonie and the Alte Oper Frankfurt.

 

After a temporary hiatus due to the global pandemic, he brought the NikanOmpa ensemble back into the collective cultural life of the city of Geneva. Through his social commitment, he helped bring music to hard-to-reach venues in collaboration with the Swiss association Les Concerts du Cœur. The ensemble participates in festivals such as "Tournez la Meule" (Neuchâtel), "L'Été, c'est Concert au Musée Ariana" (Geneva), the "Montreux Choral Festival" (Vevey), as well as in France at the "Festival de l'Orgue de Ferney-Voltaire", "L'Automne Musicale de Nîmes", "Les Jeudis de Nîmes", and in Mexico at the Festival de Musique Ancienne de Tepotzotlán and during the "Semana Novohispana" in Mexico City, where it premiered the program From Mission to Tradition, conceived during a residency at the Cathedral of Mexico City and presented at the First Franciscan Convent of the Americas (Temple of Saint Francis of Assisi).

 

Currently, he is also developing training around ancient polyphonic practices, with an emphasis on American polyphony which he links to living sources of oral tradition.

With NikanOmpa, Emilio seeks to create social and artistic links and reflections between European and Latin American musicians through music.