JAMES
GAFFIGAN
ABOUT
Recognized worldwide for his natural ease and extraordinary collaborative spirit, American conductor James Gaffigan has attracted international attention for his prowess 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. He is the General Music Director of Komische Oper Berlin, where he begins his second season in 2024-2025, and Music Director of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, where he enters his fourth season off widely acclaimed productions of Wozzeck, La Bohème, and Tristan und Isolde.
In his 2025/2026 season with Komische Oper Berlin, Gaffigan leads Evgeny Titov’s new production of Salome and Barrie Ksoky’s new production of Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk, along with revivals of Eugene Onegin, Hansel and Gretel, and The Nose. Guest engagements include returns to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Music Academy of the West and Houston Grand Opera, where he leads a production of Porgy and Bess. In Europe, he makes return engagements with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Les Arts Valencia Opera, and the Verbier Festival.