Gemma New

Sought after for her insightful interpretations and dynamic presence, New Zealand-born Gemma New is a leader among the new generation of conductors. She is currently in her sixth season as the Music Director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Hailed as “a rising star in the musical firmament” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), New was awarded Solti Foundation Career Assistance Awards in 2017, 2019 and 2020. 

Despite COVID-19, New anticipates a 20-21 Season that will include performances with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Seattle Symphony and the BBC Symphony Orchestra at London’s Barbican Centre in May 2021. 

New’s 19-20 Season featured her inaugural concerts as Principal Guest Conductor in Dallas and debuts with the National Symphony Orchestra D.C., Milwaukee Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, Kristiansand Symfoniorkester, Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Ulster Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony and New Zealand Symphony. In the summer of 2019, New made five major conducting debuts with the Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Detroit Symphony and Indianapolis Symphony. Earlier, she led the opening concerts of the St. Louis Symphony, made her debut with the New York Philharmonic on a Young People’s Concert program and conducted the SLSO on a live broadcast of Live From Here with Chris Thile. 

New has conducted the Atlanta Symphony, Toronto Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Florida Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, Berkeley Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and many others. Her guest conducting has taken her internationally with orchestras such as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Helsingborgs Symfoniorkester, Malmö Symfoniorkester, Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester, Filharmonia Szczecin and Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne. 

As a former Dudamel Conducting Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New led youth, school and community programs and assisted Music Director Gustavo Dudamel, Conductor Laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen and their guest conductors. New spent the summer of 2018 as a Conducting Fellow at Tanglewood Music Center. She served previously as Associate Conductor of the New Jersey Symphony. She is a former recipient of the David Karetsky Conducting Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival and an Ansbacher Fellowship.