JoAnn Falletta

Grammy-winning conductor JoAnn Falletta serves as Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Music Director Laureate of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the Brevard Music Center, and Artistic Adviser of the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra. She is hailed for her work as a conductor, recording artist, audience builder and champion of American composers. 

As Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, Falletta became the first woman to lead a major America ensemble. 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, and won her most recent Grammy in 2019 as conductor of the London Symphony for Spiritualist, by Kenneth Fuchs. Her  Naxos recording with the BPO  of John Corigliano’s Mr. Tambourine Man received two Grammys in 2008. 

Falletta is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, has served by presidential appointment as a Member of the National Council on the Arts, and is the recipient of many of the most prestigious conducting awards. She has introduced over 500 works by American composers, including well over 100 world premieres. In March 2019, JoAnn was named Performance Today’s  Classical Woman of the Year. 

She received her undergraduate degree from the Mannes School of Music, and her master’s and doctorate degrees from The Juilliard School. When not on the podium, JoAnn enjoys playing classical guitar, writing, cycling, yoga, and is an avid reader.