Paco Álvarez es el director del Coro de la Escuela desde 2007. Vino por primera vez a Middlebury en el año 1993 invitado a tocar un recital de piano para la Escuela de español en homenaje al profesor Emilio Núñez. Desde entonces, se ha encargado de difundir la música española y latinoamericana para nuestra Escuela, interpretando a los compositores más relevantes de nuestra cultura. Esta labor le llevó a conseguir en el verano de 2016 la Medalla Lilian Streube del Centenario de las Escuelas de Lenguas del Middlebury College.
Paco Álvarez es profesor de piano en el Conservatorio de Música de Granada y también dirige el Coro de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Universidad de Granada. Realiza su formación en el Real Conservatorio Superior de Madrid, Northern Arizona University, The Cleveland Institute of Music, Southern Methodist University de Dallas y la Folkwang Hochschule de Essen en Alemania. Hizo su debut con orquesta a los dieciocho años en el Sundome de Phoenix (Arizona) y desde entonces ha actuado en salas de conciertos en España, Estados Unidos, Suramérica, Centroamérica, y Europa. Así mismo, realiza Masterclasses de piano y ofrece conferencias en conservatorios americanos y europeos relacionadas con la música española.
Francisco “Paco” Álvarez, from Madrid, Spain, is a professor of piano at the Conservatorio de Música in Granada and conductor of the Science School Choir at the University of Granada. His professional training includes studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Southern Methodist University in Dallas and the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen, Germany. He made his orchestral debut in 1984 at the Sundome in Phoenix and he has performed as a soloist in major halls in Spain, the United States, South America and Europe. Paco has also recorded unusual Hispanic music for the National Radio of Spain and has conducted numerous piano Master Classes in Spain and abroad. He has also given lectures and concerts throughout the United States on Spanish repertoire and historical matters. Paco has mostly specialized in Spanish and Latin American music, which he has presented in concerts since 1993 at Middlebury College where he has conducted the Spanish School Choir since 2007. His work on music at La Escuela de Español led to his award the Centennial Lilian Streube Medal of Language Schools in 2016.