Artistic Director and Conductor

A native of Rosario, Argentina, Maestro Bušlje studied music from an early age and won the prestigious Alberto Williams Award for Young Musicians when he was only 10 years old.  He continued his studies in conducting, piano, violoncello, and tuba at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Facultad de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires.  In 1986, he was the Boronda Scholar of Hartnell College in California, which took him to the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, and Japan to study music with major national artists.

Before founding the Pan American Symphony Orchestra in 1991, Maestro Bušlje was Assistant Conductor of the American University Symphony Orchestra and conductor of the American University Camerata in Washington, DC.    Maestro Bušlje has been a featured guest conductor in Argentina, having conducted the Rosario Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra, Córdoba Symphony Orchestra, and the Chamber Orchestras of Rosario and Córdoba.  In June 2001, he was a guest conductor of the Sochi Symphony Orchestra in Sochi, Russia.  From 1999-2002 he was the principal guest conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Honduras.  In 2001, he won a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to develop concert programming for the National Symphony of Honduras after which he hosted the National Youth Orchestra of Honduras for a performance tour to Washington, DC.

Maestro Bušlje has been guest conductor of the Guayaquil Symphony Orchestra in Ecuador.  In the summer of 2009, he was invited to bring his orchestra to Lima, Peru to participate in a South American music festival.  As the only U.S. based orchestra participating in the event, the Pan American Symphony Orchestra musicians received critical acclaim for their high-quality musicianship and unique programming.  In addition, the Ricardo Palma University in Lima presented Maestro Buslje with an honorary professorship in music.  In 2011, Maestro Buslje returned to Lima with his orchestra to play a command performance for then President Alan Garcia in the Presidential Palace.  To celebrate President Obama’s second electoral victory, Maestro Buslje and PASO performed for the 2013 Latino Inaugural Celebration at the Kennedy Center hosted by Eva Longoria.  Among other soloists, Maestro Buslje has conducted Juan Diego Flores, Raul Esparza, Placido Domingo, Ruggiero Ricci, and Daniel Binelli.

Most recently, Maestro Bušlje was presented with a prestigious recognition from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Argentina that declared the Pan American Symphony Orchestra to be of significant national interest for its promotion of Argentine culture in the United States.  This award mentions the 32 years of dedication and hard work carried out by Maestro Sergio Buslje to bring music from Argentina to the Washington, D.C. public which has contributed to strengthening cultural ties between Argentina and the United States.

Maestro Buslje has been the creative force behind the Pan American Symphony Orchestra, bringing to Washington audiences a refreshing alternative to mainstream orchestral repertoire.  With his “sure command of the music’s expressive scope” and his “sensitive balancing of orchestral commentary”, Maestro Buslje has “quietly created a valuable Washington institution” (Washington Post).