Barbara Hannigan

Embodying music with an unparalleled dramatic sensibility, soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan is an artist at the forefront of creation. More than 30 years since her professional debut, Hannigan has created magical working relationships with world class musicians, directors and choreographers, for audiences worldwide. Her artistic colleagues include John Zorn, Krszysztof Warlikowski, Simon  Rattle, Sasha Waltz, Kent Nagano, Vladimir Jurowski, Andreas Kriegenburg, Andris Nelsons, Esa Pekka Salonen, Christoph Marthaler, Antonio Pappano, Katie Mitchell, and Kirill Petrenko. The late conductor and pianist Reinbert de Leeuw has been an extraordinary influence and inspiration on her development.

The GRAMMY Award-winning Canadian musician has shown a profound commitment to the music of our time and has given the world première performances of nearly 100 new creations, with extensive collaborations with composers including Boulez, Zorn, Dutilleux, Ligeti, di Castri, Stockhausen, Khayam, Sciarrino, Barry, Dusapin, Dean, Benjamin and Abrahamsen.

A passionate musician of unique and courageous choices, Hannigan is renowned for creating innovative orchestral programs, combining new and older repertoire in a highly dramatic and authentic manner. Having begun her career as a soprano, tackling some of the most difficult and virtuoso roles in the repertoire, she then turned her hand to conducting, with her debut in 2011 at age 40 at the Chatelet in Paris, and now balances her engagements as singer or conductor on a free and original path. She has held the position of Principal Guest Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony orchestra since 2019, and in 2026 she will begin her tenure as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.

In recent years she has been conducting world class orchestras including the Concertgebouw and Cleveland Orchestras, the London Symphony Orchestra, Rome’s Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, has ongoing relationships with festivals including Aix-en-Provence and Spoleto, and has had starring soprano roles on opera stages including London’s Covent Garden, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Paris Opera’s Palais Garnier, and the opera houses of Berlin, Hamburg and Munich.