Glass Marcano, born in San Felipe, Venezuela, embarked on her musical journey at an early age through the renowned "El Sistema," the National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras and Choirs founded by José Antonio Abreu. At just eight years old, she began studying the violin at the Conservatorio de Música Blanca Estrella de Mescoli quickly becoming a member of the Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil de San Felipe. Her unwavering dedication to music led her to perform with numerous national orchestras until 2012.
Marcano pursued conducting studies under Teresa Hernandez and later continued at the Universidad Experimental de las Artes with Alfredo Rugeles, graduating in 2017. Her growth as a conductor was further enriched through masterclasses with prestigious mentors, including François-Xavier Roth, Johannes Schläfli, Giancarlo Guerrero, Claire Gibault, Maxime Pascal, and Sabrié Bekirova.
In 2018, Marcano was appointed Principal Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil Simón Bolívar, composed of participants from El Sistema. Over the following years, she conducted several of Latin America's most esteemed youth orchestras. A significant milestone in her career occured in 2020 when she was recognized for her extraordinary talent as one of the 12 finalists in the inaugural La Maestra Competition in Paris, where she received the prestigious Orchestra Award.
Since that recognition, Marcano has conducted a wide array of orchestras, including the Orchestre de l'Opéra de Tours, Orquestra Gulbenkian, Filarmónica de Bogotá, Orquesta Sinfónica de Cartagena, Paris Mozart Orchestra, Orchestre Le Balcon, and Orchestre National de Lyon.
In the summer of 2022, Marcano led a tour with the Chineke! Junior Orchestra, culminating in critically acclaimed performances at notable venues such as the Lucerne Festival, Berlin Konzerthaus, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and London’s Clore Ballroom.
In January 2024, she collaborated as an assistant to Daniel Harding, conducting the Youth Music Culture The Greater Bay Area Orchestra in Guangzhou, China.
Her recent engagements include performances with the Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, Brussels Philharmonic (as part of the Flagey Musiq3 Festival), Orchestra Filarmonica "Arturo Toscanini", Wiener Concert-Verein at the Brahms Saal in Vienna’s Musikverein, Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, and the Orchestra dell'Accademia Teatro alla Scala.
Looking ahead to the 2024/25 season, Marcano will make her debut with the Orquesta Sinfónica Universidad de Concepción (Chile), Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Tiroler Symphonieorchester Innsbruck, Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Marseille, along with various other engagements.
Beyond her musical accomplishments, Marcano obtained a law degree from the Universidad Central de Venezuela in 2022 and is currently advancing her orchestral conducting studies at the Paris Conservatory under Pierre Michel Durand while also completing her Bachelor’s degree in orchestral conducting at the Universidad Nacional Experimental de las Artes in Venezuela.
