James Gaffigan named Music Director of Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera Names James Gaffigan as Next Music Director
In his first titled role with an American institution, globally celebrated conductor will assume position in the 2027-28 season
Photo credit: Claire McAdams
HOUSTON—November 6, 2025—Houston Grand Opera (HGO) today announces the appointment of American conductor James Gaffigan as the fifth Music Director in the company’s 70-year history. As reported in the New York Times, Gaffigan will lead the company alongside General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor, advancing HGO’s commitment to sharing world-class artistic excellence with audiences in Houston and across the globe. Beginning his term as Music Director Designate in the 2026-27 season, Gaffigan will assume the role of Music Director in the 2027-28 season.
A rarity among American conductors for his rise to prominence in the esteemed houses and concert halls of Europe, Gaffigan is in demand at opera companies and symphony orchestras across the world. Since 2023, he has served as the General Music Director of Komische Oper Berlin. He also serves as Music Director of the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra. In August 2025, Gaffigan completed his fourth and final season as Music Director of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, Spain.
Originally from New York, Gaffigan holds close ties to Houston, having earned his master’s degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. He made his HGO debut—and American operatic debut—in 2011, with the company’s production of The Marriage of Figaro. He returned earlier this year to lead the first-ever performance by the HGO Orchestra at the annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers Concert of Arias. He is currently in Houston to conduct HGO’s production of the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess for a run of performances that continues through November 9, 2025.
“To welcome James Gaffigan back to Houston, and to HGO, as our new Music Director represents the fulfillment of an ambitious dream,” says Dastoor. “This fall, Houston audiences have had the incredible opportunity to witness his passion, electric energy, and mind-blowing artistry at the podium. I am overjoyed that today’s leading American conductor—who embodies a new generation of music-making at the highest level—has chosen to invest fully in this company. James was steeped in the art and culture of Houston on his way to finding phenomenal international success. His return is both a testament to our city and a reflection of HGO’s ascendance as a force in the global opera industry.”
“I always knew that the first post I would take in the United States as Music Director had to be the perfect fit,” says Gaffigan. “All the boxes needed to be ticked. As I considered which institution, which city, and which community aligned with my dreams and goals for an American institution, I found HGO to be my ideal partner. In my opinion, HGO is the most exciting opera company in the United States. It is rare to find such a healthy institution, with tremendous potential, and a solid foundation on which to build.
“Having spent my formative years as a young conductor in Houston, studying under Larry Rachleff, I have been in admiration of the company since my early twenties. HGO’s history of innovation and dedication to education and the development of young singers is extraordinary. When walking into the building, I get a sense of community and excitement for our art form and the importance it has in our lives. I feel the same from the people in the greater Houston area. Houstonians want great art. Under Khori Dastoor’s leadership, the company has flourished, and it has become clear to me that the sky is the limit. I can’t wait to return to this city and start our thrilling new chapter together.”
HGO launched an international search for its next Music Director in fall 2024, after Patrick Summers, the company’s longtime Artistic and Music Director, announced that he would be stepping down from his role at the end of the 2025-26 season. Starting in the 2026-27 season, Summers will assume the position of HGO’s Music Director Emeritus and holder of the Robert and Jane Cizik Music Director Emeritus Chair.
After serving as HGO’s Music Director Designate in the 2026-27 season, Gaffigan will assume the role of Music Director in the 2027-28 season, with his initial contract lasting for five seasons, through 2031-32. He follows in the footsteps of previous HGO Music Directors Charles Rosekrans (1971-75), John DeMain (1979-94), Vjekoslav Sutej (1994-97), and Summers (1998-2026).
From a global field of candidates, Gaffigan stood out not only for his virtuosity at the podium, but also for his collaborative ethos, passion for developing young talent, imaginative approach to programming, and vision for reaching and diversifying audiences for opera and classical music. This appointment marks his first Music Director title with an American institution.
As HGO’s new Music Director, Gaffigan will collaborate with the musicians of the HGO Orchestra in building upon the company’s tradition of excellence, while working alongside Dastoor to direct programming and casting, nurture the next generation of distinguished musicians, and carry forward the company’s vision for the American operatic repertoire.
Gaffigan has received international acclaim for his “feisty intensity” as well as his “transparency, warmth, and restraint” (The New York Times); “impassioned leadership” (The Wall Street Journal); and “exciting, visceral approach” (Musical America) with a “consciously collaborative style” (The New York Times).
His previous titles include Music Director of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, Chief Conductor of the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, Principal Guest Conductor of both the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra & Opera, Associate Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony, and Assistant Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra.
Gaffigan has conducted for the Metropolitan Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opéra National de Paris, Zürich Opera, Vienna Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Dutch National Opera, Glyndebourne Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Santa Fe Opera, among many others.
He also prioritizes maintaining an equal balance as a symphonic conductor. He regularly leads the world’s greatest orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, among many others.
In Europe, he has appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, Staatskapelle Dresden, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and Czech Philharmonic, and he maintains ongoing relationships with the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.
A champion of new music, James Gaffigan has led over 30 premieres by composers including Thomas Adès, Kaija Saariaho, Anders Hillborg, Andrew Norman, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and Wynton Marsalis.
In the most recent of his nearly 20 recordings, Gaffigan conducted the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester in Americans (Harmonia Mundi), an album of works by Bernstein, Barber, Crawford, and Ives. His discography also includes recordings with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Choir, and Frankfurt Radio Symphony.
Gaffigan’s early training in New York City’s public schools, including LaGuardia High School of Music and Art, inspired his belief in music education and access to the arts. He regularly works with young musicians at The Juilliard School, Aspen Music Festival and School, Music Academy of the West, and the Verbier Festival, where he serves as Music Director of the Junior Orchestra.
A graduate of the New England Conservatory, he studied conducting at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and is an alumnus of the Aspen Conducting Academy and Tanglewood Music Center. In 2004, he won first prize in the Sir Georg Solti International Conducting Competition.
ABOUT HOUSTON GRAND OPERA
Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is one of the largest, most innovative, and most highly acclaimed opera companies in the United States. General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor assumed leadership of the organization and responsibility for its strategic vision in 2021. HGO is the only American finalist for Opera Company of the Year in the 2025 International Opera Awards, and the only American company to be nominated three times. In fulfilling its mission to advance the operatic art, to serve the Houston community, and to be a global leader in the future of opera, HGO has led the field in commissioning and producing new works (76 world premieres to date) and in training and nurturing promising young artists and administrators. In 2025, the company launched the Houston Grand Opera record label, enabling it to share American operatic works with a broad international audience. HGO contributes to the cultural enrichment of Houston and the nation through a diverse and innovative program of performances, community events, and education projects that reach the widest possible public. The company’s pioneering Community and Learning initiative has served as a model for other arts organizations. HGO invites all Houstonians to experience superlative opera without the barrier of price through discounted single tickets and subscriptions, subsidized student performances, and free productions.
HGO has toured extensively and has won a Tony, two Grammy awards, and three Emmy awards. It is the only opera company to win all three honors.
