James Gaffigan

James Gaffigan’s natural ease and compelling musicianship put him in high demand with orchestras (Los Angeles Philharmonic, Zurich Tonhalle, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris…) and opera houses (New York Metropolitan Opera, Munich Bayerische Staatsoper, Wiener Staatsoper, Zurich Opernhaus…) around the world. In 2004, he was Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra under Franz Welser-Möst, and the same year he won the First Prize of the Sir Georg Solti International Competition. In addition to his outstanding conducting of operas by Mozart, Rossini, Puccini and Strauss, the American conductor has also contributed to the international reputation of the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, where he has just concluded his tenure as Principal Conductor. Since 2021, James Gaffigan is the Music Director of the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra and was recently named Music Director of Komische Oper Berlin from the 2023/24 season for four seasons.