Recognized worldwide for his natural ease and extraordinary collaborative spirit, American conductor James Gaffigan is esteemed as a conductor of both symphony orchestras and opera. The mutual trust he builds with artists empowers them to cultivate the highest art possible.
Gaffigan is uniquely positioned with Music Directorships at two international opera houses, beginning his second season as General Music Director of Komische Oper Berlin and his fourth as Music Director of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia. In his 2024-2025 season with Komische Oper Berlin, Gaffigan leads productions of Sweeney Todd, The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni, among others. At Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, he conducts a varied season of programming including a staging of Der fliegende Holländer. Guest engagements include his debut with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester and returns to the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and Luzerner Sinfonieorchester. In the United States, he returns to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and Houston Grand Opera.
As an orchestral conductor, Gaffigan regularly works with the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic and Detroit Symphony Orchestra, among many others. In Europe, he has appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Wiener Symphoniker, Münchner Philharmoniker, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Norske Opera and Ballet, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, Staatskapelle Berlin and Czech Philharmonic.
A regular at the Metropolitan Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, and Opéra National de Paris, Gaffigan has also conducted the Zürich Opera, Vienna Staatsoper, Staatsoper Hamburg, Dutch National Opera, Glyndebourne Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Santa Fe Opera.
Gaffigan’s previous titles include Principal Guest Conductor of both the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra & Opera, Chief Conductor of the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, Associate Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony and Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra. An alumnus of the Aspen Music Festival’s Aspen Conducting Academy and the Tanglewood Music Center, he was first prize winner of the 2004 Sir Georg Solti International Conducting Competition.
A product of the New York City public school system, Gaffigan studied at the LaGuardia High School of Music and Art before pursuing his conducting studies. He remains passionate about music education as a means of fostering opportunity and diversity in classical music.
2024/25 Season
Please note: Biographies are based on information provided to the CSOA by the artists or their representatives. More current information may be available on websites of the artists or their management.
