Maestro Alberto Correa Cadavid was born in Medellín on July 2, 1942. His love for music began at the age of nine when he discovered the Tomás Luis de Victoria Choir. In 1956, he entered the Yarumal Seminary, where he fell in love with Gregorian chant and founded a male choir. Five years later, he left the seminary and enrolled at the University of Antioquia to study medicine.

While studying medicine, he created several choral groups, such as the Early Music Ensemble, the Envigado City Choir, and the Men’s Choir of the Medellín Polyphonic Studio. After earning his medical degree, he worked in hospitals across various municipalities in Antioquia, and later in his private practice for 42 years—without ever abandoning music.

Alberto Correa founded the Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra in 1983 and served as its conductor until 2013. Over those 30 years, he conducted nearly 3,000 concerts, operas, zarzuelas, and oratorios. Maestro Correa has been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Antioquia, an honorary bachelor’s degree in music from the Adventist University, and the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ministry of Culture.