First Woman and Person of Colour Appointed to Lead Seattle Symphony

Xian Zhang has been appointed head of the Seattle Symphony. Her appointment breaks long-standing barriers in the industry and in Seattle.

The news: On September 5th, the Seattle Symphony announced that Xian Zhang will be its next music director. Zhang’s 5 year contract will begin at the beginning of the 2025/2026 season. A multiple GRAMMY award winner, Zhang has spent 8 seasons as music director of the New Jersey Symphony and guest conducted for the Metropolitan Opera, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the LA Phil, and the Boston Symphony. She also serves as Artistic Ambassador of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Emeritus of Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano. She holds an honourary doctorate from the Juilliard School.

Zoom out: Zhang’s appointment is kind of a big deal. Born in Dandong, China, Zhang is the first woman and person of colour to lead the Seattle Symphony. Her only female counterpart at an American top-tier orchestra is Nathalie Stutzmann, who currently leads the Atlanta Symphony.

The Seattle Symphony has been without a music director since 2022, when the Danish conductor Thomas Dausgaard resigned mid-season. Seattle Symphony President & CEO Krishna Thiagarajan described how Seattle audiences were witnessing history being made with Zhang’s appointment. Brava & it’s about time, maestra.

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Sara Schabas

Sara Schabas is a Dora-nominated soprano, writer and yoga teacher. She has performed and created leading roles with companies including Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, the Dayton Opera, and Aspen Opera, and is a former member of Barbara Hannigan’s Equilibrium Young Artists. Currently based in Montreal, she is a doctoral student at McGill University — where she recently received the Wirth Vocal Prize — and editor of Art Song Canada magazine.