The Gothenburg Symphony has announced the extension of Barbara Hannigan’s assignment as Principal Guest Conductor. For another three seasons, the famously singing conductor will continue to build her relationship with Swedish audiences until 2028.
“I am absolutely thrilled to continue my collaboration with Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, as their Principal Guest Conductor! We have had so many exciting and inspiring concerts over the past years, and I know there will be many more!” says Barbara Hannigan in a statement.
The recent news continues the University of Toronto graduate’s steady rise in the world of Western classical music as both a vocalist and conductor.
Barbara Hannigan
A native of Waverley, Nova Scotia, Barbara moved to Toronto at the age of 17, where she studied music at the University of Toronto. She graduated there with a BMus, followed by a Masters of Music degree. She pursued her musical education at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Steans Institute for Young Artists at the Ravinia Festival, and the Centre d’arts Orford.
As a gifted soprano, she has performed with opera companies and orchestras all over the world, and is known for her fearless commitment to new music along with her interpretations of the traditional repertoire. She won a Gramophone Recording of the Year Award for her 2013 premiere of Henri Dutilleux’s Correspondances. Her virtuosic abilities in the higher registers have been widely noted.
She began conducting in about 2011, and was immediately recognized for her dynamic and unique approach. Her acclaimed 2015 appearances in Toronto conducting Stravinsky’s Symphony In Three Movements were sold out.
In 2016, Barbara was awarded the Order of Canada for her singular contributions to the world of Western classical music. Her 2017 release Crazy Girl Crazy won the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal album.
She is as committed to the next generation as she is to her own music. Barbara created two initiatives, the Equilibrium Young Artists and Momentum: Our Future Now, designed to mentor emerging artists. She was named Reinbert de Leeuw Professor of Music at the Royal Academy of Music in the summer of 2023.
Barbara has been based in the Europe for several years. According to her website, she now lives in “Finistère, on the northwest coast of France, directly across the Atlantic from where she grew up in Waverley, Nova Scotia”.
Barbara Hannigan conducts and performs Ligeti’s Mysteries of the Macabre with Gothenburg Symphony on April 12, 2013:
Barbara in Gothenburg
Her connections to Gothenburg go back to 2013, when she was invited to conduct a concert titled Spring Shock. Already known as a soprano, she left a lasting impression, and after building her conducting portfolio with numerous engagements, was appointed as the Symphony’s Principal Guest Conductor in 2019.
That contract now extends into the 2027/28 season.
“We are incredibly happy that Barbara Hannigan chooses to stay with us. She is a world star. For the orchestra, her innovative concerts are always a way to develop and meet the audience in new ways,” says Sten Cranner, CEO of the Gothenburg Symphony.
Notably, Gothenburg Symphony’s Chief conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali will be stepping down from the post at the end of the 2024-25 season. Rouvali has been the Symphony’s Chief conductor since 2017.
“We are all looking forward to a lot of fantastic concerts and projects before the end of next season, not least, guest performances in other countries. We will of course maintain our fine relationship in the future and have already planned invites as guest conductor,” says Sten Cranner.
Maestra Hannigan’s next conducting engagement with the Gothenburg Symphony will take place on January 18 and 19 for a program titled Animatopia, a dramatic comedy with actor David Dencik, piano duo Katia & Marielle Labèque, and baritone Laurent Naouri.
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