INDIANAPOLIS— The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra announced Enrico Lopez-Yañez as the ISO’s Principal Guest Conductor of Pops. The new role is effective immediately and will feature Maestro Lopez-Yañez conducting two Pops Series programs for the 2024–25 season and three programs during the 2025–26 season.
Maestro Lopez-Yañez has brought ISO audiences of all ages together with his imaginative programming, which includes disco and Latin pop as well as John Williams and the Harry Potter soundtracks.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Indianapolis Symphony as their new Principal Guest Conductor of Pops. I am excited to work with this fantastic orchestra and design new and innovative programs in the popular music space. Jack Everly and the ISO have a rich history of creating dazzling symphonic productions. I am honored and look forward to joining their team and building upon this great tradition,” said Maestro Lopez-Yañez.
ISO Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly will continue to conduct the Printing Partners Pops Series, Film Series presented by Bank of America, and AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration.
“We are all very excited to welcome Enrico Lopez-Yañez to our ISO family. His is a fresh voice, full of new musical ideas with an energized talent that is going places and making a mark in our musical world today,” said Maestro Everly.
“The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is honored to welcome Maestro Lopez-Yañez as our Principal Guest Conductor of Pops and deepen our longstanding creative collaboration. Building on Maestro Jack Everly’s ground-breaking artistry at the ISO, Maestros Lopez-Yañez and Everly will help the ISO reach new audiences and explore the boundless possibilities of symphonic music,” said James Johnson, CEO of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
ISO fans have two opportunities to see Maestro Lopez-Yañez during the 2024–25 season: La Vida Loca: Latin Pops Hits of the 1990s and 2000s on Nov. 8 and 9, 2024. The world premiere of La Vida Loca celebrates artists including Enrique Iglesias, Gloria Estefan, Santana, Ricky Martin, and more. Maestro Lopez-Yañez, vocalists Ender Thomas and Jackie Mendez, José Sibaja on trumpet, and Luisito Quintero on percussion join the ISO for a high-octane program featuring all-new symphonic arrangements by Lopez-Yañez and Sibaja. Maestros in Concert: Jack & Enrico, on June 6 and 7, 2025, brings together two of the nation’s leading Pops conductors on stage with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Maestro Lopez-Yañez will join Maestro Everly for a weekend of unforgettable Pops music showcasing their unique stylings and shared interests.
About Enrico Lopez-Yañez
Enrico Lopez-Yañez is the Principal Pops Conductor of the Detroit, Nashville, and Pacific Symphonies and the Principal Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Presents. Lopez-Yañez has quickly established himself as one of the nation’s leading conductors of popular music and has become known for his unique style of audience engagement. Also an active composer/arranger, he has been commissioned by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Houston Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and Omaha Symphony. He has had his works performed by the Atlanta Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, National Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and Utah Symphony, among other orchestras.
Lopez-Yañez has conducted concerts with a broad spectrum of artists, including Nas, Patti LaBelle, Itzhak Perlman, Trisha Yearwood, Kenny Loggins, Stewart Copeland, Kelsea Ballerini, Leslie Odom Jr., Renee Elise Goldsberry, Portugal The Man, Ben Rector, Cody Fry, Hanson, The Beach Boys, Kenny G, and more. Each year, Lopez-Yañez conducts the annual Let Freedom Sing! Music City’s July 4th fireworks show, televised annually on CMT, reaches millions of viewers nationwide.
This season, Lopez-Yañez will collaborate with artists including Dolly Parton, Bernadette Peters, Lyle Lovett, War & Treaty, Ben Folds, Indigo Girls, Joss Stone, Girl Named Tom, Lettuce, and Tower of Power. He will appear with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony, and Toronto Symphony and make return appearances with the Baltimore Symphony, Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, National Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Utah Symphony, and more. Previously, Lopez-Yañez has appeared with orchestras throughout North America, including the Cincinnati Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, and the San Francisco Symphony.
Lopez-Yañez received the 2023 “Mexicanos Distinguidos” Award from the Mexican government, granted to Mexican citizens living abroad for outstanding career accomplishments in their field. As an advocate for Latin music, he has arranged and produced shows for Latin Fire, Mariachi Los Camperos, and The Three Mexican Tenors and collaborated with artists including Aida Cuevas, Arturo Sandoval, and Lila Downs.
As Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Symphonica Productions, LLC, Lopez-Yañez curates and leads programs designed to cultivate new audiences. Symphonica’s show offerings range from pop shows to family and education productions, which have been described as “incredibly special—and something that needs to become the new norm” (Lima Symphony). Symphonica’s productions have been performed by major American orchestras including the Baltimore Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Tucson Symphony, and many more.
As a producer, composer, and arranger, Lopez-Yañez’s work can be heard on numerous albums including the UNESCO benefit album Action Moves People United and children’s music albums including The Spaceship that Fell in My Backyard, winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Hollywood Music and Media Awards, Family Choice Awards and Kokowanda Bay, winner of a Global Media Award as well as a Parents’ Choice Award where Lopez-Yañez was lauded for his “catchy arrangements” (Parents’ Choice Foundation).
