NATCHITOCHES — Jolie González-Masmela will never forget the first time she conducted an orchestra. It made her realize she wanted to be a conductor. González-Masmela is working to make that ambition happen.  

González-Masmela, a native of Colombia, earned her master’s in music from Northwestern State University in 2018. She is a doctoral student at the University of Northern Colorado where she is completing her dissertation. 

“The first time I conducted an orchestra was an important experience for me,” she said. “Being in the middle of the orchestra and feeling all the sounds around me was an experience I will never forget. I had never felt so connected to music and musicians before. I couldn’t sleep for the next two nights.” 

González-Masmela said her ambition began as she worked with and watched many of the world’s top conductors and teachers that worked with her in Colombia. 

“It all started with my admiration from afar for great maestros I watched and my own teachers such as Carlos Riazuelo, German Gutierrez, Joshua Dos Santos, Marin Alsop, Leonard Bernstein, Gustavo Dudamel, Sergio Sánchez and many more,” said González-Masmela. “I wanted to be like them.” 

González-Masmela has been receiving recognition for her conducting and has had opportunities to learn from leading conductors. Last November, González Masmela took part in a workshop HUB for Women Conductors in Chile; an organization with a mission to explore, mentor and expand the possibilities for women conductors. In February, she was one of 10 conductors from around the world chosen to attend the 2024-25 Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship Mentoring Program. She is working with Marin Alsop, conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. the first woman to lead a major American orchestra.   

“These experiences have been completely different, yet they are all deeply connected at the same time,” said Gonzalez-Masmela. “HUB in Chile marked a before and after for me, but not just as an artist, also as a person. Maestra Alejandra Urrutia and the team she works with, as well as the orchestra, are now a model I look up to. They work on musical projects with a real social impact. And I’m not just talking about teaching an instrument—I’m talking about transforming lives. I know it sounds like a cliché, but HUB is an experience you have to live to truly understand how powerful it is.” 

Gonzalez-Masmela said The TAKI Fellowship Mentee Program was the type of opportunity she never believed she would take part in. 

 “If someone had told me eight years ago, when I was in Colombia, that one day I could sit and talk with Marin Alsop, watch her rehearse, and have conversations with some of the most important conductors of this period I would have laughed,” she said. “It’s been a huge dream come true, and I wish it would never end. My vision as an artist has expanded greatly, just from hearing the stories of these amazing women, and of course, you begin to mature musically and intellectually as well. I feel like it’s an incredible way to shorten and ease the path for us, through them and to discover new paths, our own paths.” 

González- Masmela was appointed as cover conductor for three concerts with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra for the current season.  

“Being an assistant with a professional orchestra at this level is so much more than just music,” said Gonzalez-Masmela. “You learn about management, you see how problems are solved, like finding a soloist right before a concert because somebody gets sick and knowing that the audience always expects excellence, how the musicians react, the incredible work of the staff to make a concert happen, etc. These are things you don’t experience in the same way in an academic setting, and that teaches you in such an incredible way. 

“I feel that everything that’s happened, especially in the last year—the HUB, the TAKI, participating in my first conducting competition with the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, and all my academic training—has prepared me for this moment. I believe all of these are threads weaving together, pieces of a puzzle coming together and I’m really loving this process.” 

Gonzalez-Masmela said her time at NSU was very important to her. She assisted Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra Music Director Dr. Douglas Bakenhus as well as Joshua Zona with the Rapides Symphony Orchestra. 

“From the very beginning, Dr. Bakenhus gave me his full trust, set huge challenges for me and entrusted me with the orchestra as much as he could,” she said. “Sometimes, when he had to be absent, he would leave me in charge, and that helped me grow a lot as a conductor (especially when rehearsing in English, which was very difficult for me at first. I believe that NSU gave me the opportunity to learn so many things through hands-on experience.” 

Working with the Rapides Symphony gave Gonzalez-Masmela experience working with a professional orchestra. 

“It was very important for me to see how symphonic organizations function in the United States and to learn a vast amount of repertoire,” said Gonzalez-Masmela. “Both opportunities were a huge advantage because each one helped me develop different skills that only those experiences could offer. I truly feel very fortunate and grateful to NSU and for my time in Louisiana.” 

Only a small percentage of orchestral conductors are women. Gonzalez-Masmela is optimistic her preparation will help her find an opportunity to conduct. 

“I believe that, although there is certainly an enormous imbalance in opportunities by gender, the career of a conductor is difficult in itself,” said Gonzalez-Masmela. There are more opportunities now, but at the same time the demands are higher. I am confident that the opportunities will come, and I am preparing for them. The art of conducting, like almost everything in life, is built with a lot of discipline, effort, and with people by your side who support you, believe in you, and help you bring out the best in yourself. There is a verse by the poet Antonio Machado that has become my motto this past year, which translates as: “Traveler, there is no path, the path is made by walking…” You have to take it step by step, with firmness, confidence and the support of those who appreciate you, and the path will be forged.” 

Caption 

Jolie Gonzalez-Masmela conducting at Salon Alberto Castilla in Colombia. Photo by Edison Cavieded.