Official announcement

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After a thorough search process carried out by a diverse committee of faculty and staff from across the University, with input from the members and student leaders of the Yale Symphony Orchestra, lauded conductor Elizabeth Askren has been appointed to be the next Director of the Yale Symphony Orchestra and Associate Professor Adjunct at the Yale School of Music, beginning in the 2025–2026 academic year.

Professor Askren brings with her a wealth of experience as a conductor, educator, and advocate for inclusive excellence in the arts. She is widely recognized for her collaborative spirit, technical command, and a deep commitment to fostering musical growth. Currently Hawai’i Opera Theatre’s first Principal Guest Conductor and a music staff member at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Professor Askren has led performances praised for their clarity, vitality, and expressive depth.

Throughout her career, Professor Askren has demonstrated a strong commitment to mentorship and access in the arts. She is the founder and artistic director of the Transylvanian Opera Academy — Romania’s first opera studio — and the creator of MaestraMagic!, a multi-media edutainment initiative designed to introduce young audiences to the world of classical music. Professor Askren has taught at the Opera national de Paris’ Academy and was the inaugural judge for the Paris Philharmonic’s La Maestra Competition and Academy for women conductors, alongside fellow pioneer Marin Alsop. A strong voice for equity and creativity in the field, Professor Askren is also the Music Director of the groundbreaking opera Sensorium Ex, created by composer Paola Prestini and poet Brenda Shaughnessey, which explores issues at the intersection of AI, disability, and what it means to have a voice.

Holding degrees from The Juilliard School, Oberlin Conservatory, Bard College, and prestigious institutions in France and Romania, Professor Askren’s artistic development has been shaped by distinguished mentors, including conductors Alsop, Lorin Maazel, and Janos Fuerst and pianists Byron Janis, Sergio Perticaroli, and Germaine Tocatlian. An OPERA America Opera Grant winner, she is a laureate of France’s ADAMI and The Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute and has received fellowships from the Salzburg Mozarteum, the Royaumont Foundation, and the Aldeburgh Festival.  

Professor Askren's appointment follows William Boughton's retirement after leading the YSO for the last seven years.

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Source: Yale School of Music

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Personal statement

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I am deeply honored - and excited! - to announce my appointment as Director of the Yale Symphony Orchestra and Associate Professor Adjunct at the Yale School of Music beginning in the 2025–2026 academic year.

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The Yale School of Music's mission statement emphasizes artistic excellence, academic rigor, service, and international exchange:

The Yale School of Music educates and inspires students with exceptional artistic and academic talent for service to the profession and to society.

The School fosters a vibrant musical environment where graduate level performers and composers realize their highest artistic potential with an internationally distinguished faculty.

To prepare students for roles as cultural leaders, the School engages fully with the University’s extraordinary intellectual and technological resources while collaborating with artistic centers throughout the world.

I cannot think of a more noble mission to support.

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I would like to pay homage to my teachers who took such care to share their gifts of musicianship and wisdom. It is particularly meaningful that the archives of one of my maestri, the late Byron Janis, will be preserved in the Yale School of Music's Gilmore library.

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I would also like to thank all of the students, pre-professional and young professional musicians with whom I've had the joy to collaborate over the years. We are waiting to welcome you at Yale's concerts, lectures, and other public events, whether in person or remotely!

TOA (Transylvanian Opera Academy), Britten Pears orchestra / Aldeburgh Festival, Opéra national de Paris - Academie, The Juilliard School, University of Hawai'i, University of Maryland, The Dallas Opera / Hart Institute, Hawai'i Opera Theatre, Kentucky Opera, FLAME concours international, Théâtre de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, The Franco-American Vocal Academy, Fondation des États-Unis, Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Versailles, Opera Fuoco, Philharmonie de Paris -Tremplin Jeunes Cheffes d'Orchestre, Romanian Mozart Society, Loyola University Chicago, Gheorghe Dima National Music Academy, La Maestra Paris, Orchestre des jeunes Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, KABrass, Chœur et Orchestre de Sciences Po

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Meeting several members of Yale's faculty and staff and rehearsing with the current members of the YSO back in February was a true pleasure. I cannot wait to join the Yale community and work with everyone!

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