Grammy award-winning conductor Matt Catingub is Albuquerque's new principal pops conductor for the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra.
The NMSO announced Catingub as the pops conductor at the Symphony Under the Stars concert in May.
Ryan Stark, associate director of public relations for the NMSO, said pops music is different from classical orchestral arrangements. The pops orchestra plays modern music, like movie soundtracks or music from Broadway. The style is gaining popularity in New Mexico, he said.
"Two seasons ago we had a really successful concert that involved the music of the Beatles," Stark said. "It worked great on the stage with soloists playing the rock and roll instruments in front of the orchestra. There are people who like classical better than pops, and vice versa. There are people who like Coke better than Pepsi. It's variations on the same type of product. It's not better or worse to like one over the other. It's simply important for the NMSO to be here to be able to offer a wide variety of programming for a lot of people with different tastes."
Catingub, who won a Grammy for his work on the soundtrack for "Good Night, and Good Luck," said pops concerts are completely different from classical ones.
"Pops is everything but classical," he said. "My background (in music) is actually non-classical. Translating my knowledge from the contemporary world to the orchestral world has been what has made it both challenging and at the same time very fun."
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Catingub is also the pops conductor for the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra.
Catingub is Albuquerque's second principal pops conductor and will be replacing Michael Krajewski, who served as principal pops conductor from 2000 to 2008.
"I have had the pleasure of conducting the New Mexico Symphony several times as a guest over the past 10 years, and I look forward to visiting more frequently," Catingub said. "I love Albuquerque, and I love the lifestyle."
Catingub will be commuting to New Mexico from Hawaii for the pops concert.
"I like to keep the concerts very local-oriented, using as many local musicians, artists and styles," he said. "This has been very effective in Hawaii and I know it will translate well to New Mexico."
Stark said Catingub was selected from a well-qualified pool of applicants including other national pops conductors such as Stuart Chafetz, director of the Maui Pops Orchestra.
"All the applicants gave really good performances, and certainly connected with our audiences," Stark said. "In the end, the committee went with Matt's direction. I'm sure because he brings a unique sort of style and versatility to the principal pops conductor post. That is very rare."
Stark said Catingub has a strong stage presence and is a talented instrumentalist and vocalist.
"Guys like Matt who are known nationally as pops conductors are very talented and do a variety of things," he said. "In his case, it's very rare to find that combination of instrumentalist, singer, arranger and conductor. He knows how to have fun with the crowd. That combination of talent is what is so unique about Matt."
Already Catingub has conducted a number of concerts in New Mexico as a guest conductor, including the holiday pops concert, and the New Mexico audience has been thrilled every time he conducts, Stark said.
"When he was here in December, the audience was informed at the concert that he was one of the candidates to be the principal pops conductor," he said. "Afterwards we got all kinds of phone calls and e-mails saying 'Oh my gosh, he's just amazing.'"
Catingub said he enjoyed conducting the musicians of the NMSO as a guest conductor, and he looks forward to working with them more.
"I love the musicians and staff at the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, I always have," he said. "They are very open to taking chances in the pops orchestra world and I appreciate their patience and flexibility."
Catingub said he has high hopes for the pops program.
"(I want) to make the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra pops a destination for people around the country to attend and to make the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra a must- see and hear when they visit New Mexico," he said.
Catingub's next concert is this winter during the New Mexico Symphony's holiday program.
For more information on the winter pops season go to nmso.org
