With classical training since the age of 6 and over 15 years of experience conducting orchestras, Manuel has developed a profound understanding of music-making. As a composer and high-level instrumentalist, he possesses an exceptional grasp of the journey from the score to the performance. Manuel has conducted much of the core repertoire as well as new compositions, demonstrating his versatility and depth of knowledge in the field. 

As a member of the exclusive 2023 cohort of the Carlos Miguel Prieto Conducting Fellowship, Manuel received mentoring from renowned conductors and musicians including Yo-Yo Ma, Marin Alsop, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Alexander Shelley, Elena Schwarz, Giancarlo Guerrero, Jessica Cottis, Leonard Slatkin, Marta Gardolinska, Vasily Petrenko, Simone Young, and Sir Roger Norrington, among others.

His repertoire includes L. van Beethoven's symphonies Nos. 1, 5, and 9; Coriolan Overture; Egmont Overture; The Creatures of Prometheus; Wellington's Victory; Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2. Also, Mozart's Symphonies Nos. 25, 35, 40; piano concertos Nos. 12, 21, 23; the Requiem Mass in D minor; Horn, Flute, Oboe, and Violin concertos. Gustav Mahler's Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4 (arranged), Kindertotenlieder for brass. R. Wagner's Overture to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Stravinsky's The Firebird and Dumbarton Oaks concerto. J. S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, Violin double concerto, Orchestral suites Nos. 1 and 2. Handel's Water Music. Haydn Symphonies Nos. 44, 45. Schubert's Symphony No. 8. Debussy's La Mer, Prelude to the afternoon of a Faun. Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4, Swan Lake Suite. Dvorak's Symphony No. 9. Saint-Säens' Carnival of the Animals. Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 1, Festive Overture. Copland's Appalachian Spring. Ives' The Unanswered Question, among many others, including works by Chilean composers Esteban Correa, Mario Lavista, Julio Torres, among others.