Sebastian Zinca's recent and upcoming debuts include the Orchestre National Capitole Toulouse, the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra in the KKL Lucerne, and the Jungekammerphilharmonie Berlin in the Berlin Philharmonie. He is currently the assistant conductor of the Real Filharmonía de Galicia where he has conducted twenty-three concerts since his position there began in January 2024. He has assisted Mark Wigglesworth at the Teatro Real Madrid (Shostakovich: The Nose), and Nicholas Collon with the Finnish Radio Orchestra (Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde). Notably during his time in Galicia, Sebastian led three successful last minute jump-ins, including stepping in on one day’s notice to conduct rehearsals of Saariaho’s monumental stage work La Passion de Simone. He was awarded a silver medal at the Third International Antal Doráti Conducting Competition in Budapest, and the Joan W. Harris Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival.
Sebastian has performed a piece by a living composer in nearly every one of his programs during the last two seasons. His merit as a conductor and advocate of contemporary music was recognized by the Lucerne Festival, which following his participation in the Festival Academy in 2023, re-invited him to lead workshops and a concert with the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra during the summers of 2024 and 2025.
A passionate conductor of opera, Sebastian has led three productions with the opera department of the Sibelius Academy, and one with the opera department of the Universität der Künste Berlin. He conducted a concert version of La Bohème Act IV with the Orquesta Filarmònica de Gran Canaria and at the European Music Academy Teplice, was awarded the President's Prize for his work on Così fan tutte.
Sebastian completed his conducting studies at the Sibelius Academy as a student of Sakari Oramo, as well as an advanced studies diploma at the Universität der Künste Berlin as a student of Harry Curtis. At the Sibelius Academy he received additional instruction from Jorma Panula, Johannes Schlaefli, Nicholás Pasquet, Susanna Mälkki, Hannu Lintu, and Péter Eötvös. During his studies he conducted the Orchestra of the Komische Oper, Kammerakademie Potsdam, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Staatstheater Cottbus, Lahti Symphony, Magdeburgische Philharmonie, Oulu Symphony Orchestra, and the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra.
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Sebastian is a native of Miami, Florida born to Romanian and Peruvian parents. Before conducting, he studied double bass at the Juilliard School. As an orchestral musician he has performed with several of the world’s leading conductors at Carnegie Hall, Suntory Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Moscow Conservatory, and Mariinsky Theatre. In 2017 he performed a program of Holocaust memorial music at Auschwitz. He has played over 40 concerts in hospitals, nursing homes, and homeless shelters.