JoAnn Falletta

Multiple Grammy Award-winning conductor JoAnn Falletta serves as Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, Music Director Laureate of the Virginia Symphony, Principal Guest Conductor of the Brevard Music Center, and Conductor Laureate of the Hawaii Symphony. She was named one of the 50 great conductors of all time by Gramophone Magazine and ASCAP has honored her as “a leading force for music of our time.” As Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, Falletta became the first woman to lead a major American orchestra. She has guest-conducted over a hundred orchestras in North America, and many of the most prominent orchestras in Europe, Asia, and South America. She is a leading recording artist for Naxos.

Falletta is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has served by presidential appointment as a Member of the National Council on the Arts. She has conducted over 1,600 orchestral works by more than 600 composers, including over 135 works by women composers, and over 150 premieres. After earning her bachelor’s degree at Mannes, Falletta received master’s and doctoral degrees from the Juilliard School.