Manuel Ochoa

Manuel Ochoa (October 6, 1925 – July 15, 2006) was a Cuban exile musician, choral and orchestra conductor who founded the Miami Symphony Orchestra.

Biography Manuel Ochoa was born on October 6, 1925, in Holguín, Cuba, to Manuel Trinidad Ochoa and Caridad Ochoa. He showed a strong ability for music from an early age, beginning his music studies with his mother, Caridad, a classically trained opera singer. Manuel Ochoa made his musical debut in his hometown at the age of seventeen, conducting Verdi's Il Trovatore. In 1942 he created the Sociedad Coral de Holguín, conducting the chorale ensemble until 1946. As music director of the Sociedad Coral, Ochoa presented international renowned artists such as the Vienna Boys Choir, with whom he began a close and longstanding collaboration. This relationship served as inspiration to create the Niños Cantores de la Habana for Cardinal Archbishop Monsignor Manuel Arteaga.

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