Soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan, renowned for her dramatic sensibility and innovative artistry, has spent over 30 years at the forefront of contemporary music. She has developed close collaborations with luminaries such as John Zorn, Simon Rattle, Kent Nagano, and Krzysztof Warlikowski. A tireless advocate for modern music, Hannigan has premiered nearly 100 new works and collaborated with composers like Boulez, Ligeti, and Abrahamsen.
Beginning her career as a soprano, she gained recognition for tackling challenging roles before transitioning to conducting at age 40. Now, she regularly leads major orchestras including the Concertgebouw, Cleveland Orchestra, and Montreal Symphony, while maintaining relationships with festivals like Aix-en-Provence and Spoleto. Recent highlights include her acclaimed dual role in Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine, where she sings and conducts, and world premieres such as Golfam Khayam’s I am not a tale to be told.
In the 2024/25 season, she will return to lead orchestras including the London Symphony, Munich Philharmonic, and Iceland Symphony, while also embarking on a vocal recital tour with Bertrand Chamayou. In 2026, she will assume the role of Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.
Hannigan’s recordings have garnered international acclaim. Her album Crazy Girl Crazy won the 2018 Grammy for Best Classical Solo Vocal album, alongside an Edison and Juno Award. Her recent works include Hannigan Sings Zorn and collaborations with Juilliard and the Royal Academy of Music. A passionate mentor, she founded Equilibrium Young Artists and Momentum: Our Future Now to support emerging musicians.
Her numerous accolades include the Order of Canada, Gramophone Magazine’s Artist of the Year (2022), and Denmark’s Léonie Sonning Music Prize. Hannigan resides in Finistère, France, connecting her Atlantic coast home to her roots in Nova Scotia.