Daniela Candillari Announces 2026–2027 Season Highlighted by Major American Opera Productions Across the U.S. and Europe

Internationally acclaimed conductor Daniela Candillari will lead a wide-ranging slate of symphonic and operatic engagements throughout the U.S. and Europe during the 2026–2027 season, with a season centerpiece focused on two landmark works of American opera: André Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire in her mainstage conducting debut at Boston Lyric Opera (November 5-8, 2026), and Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah in her return to Lyric Opera of Chicago (April 11-23, 2027).

Widely recognized for her commanding interpretations of contemporary and American repertoire, Candillari continues to distinguish herself as one of today’s leading operatic conductors through performances marked by dramatic intensity, emotional immediacy, and structural clarity. Her 2026–2027 season further solidifies a reputation built on championing American voices and bringing theatrical urgency to both new and established works.

Among the season’s most anticipated engagements is Candillari’s return to Lyric Opera of Chicago, where she conducts Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah in a production directed by Patricia Racette and starring soprano Gabriella Reyes. The production marks Lyric Opera’s first presentation of Floyd’s seminal American opera in more than two decades and represents a significant addition to Candillari’s growing body of work in 20th- and 21st-century American opera.

Candillari also makes her mainstage debut with Boston Lyric Opera conducting André Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by Patricia Racette. Celebrated for her ability to illuminate psychologically charged scores with both precision and lyricism, Candillari “breathed new life into” the operatic adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ iconic drama at its Opera Theatre of Saint Louis debut in June. “Previn’s complex, inventive orchestral palette,” wrote Heidi Waleson in the Wall Street Journal, was “carefully shaped by Ms. Candillari.” The engagement continues her ongoing advocacy for American opera and contemporary theatrical repertoire.

Over the past decade, Candillari has emerged as a leading interpreter of modern American opera through acclaimed world premiere performances of works including Grounded by Jeanine Tesori and George Brant, This House by Ricky Ian Gordon, Lynn Nottage, and Ruby Aiyo Gerber, and 10 Days in a Madhouse by Rene Orth and Hannah Moscovitch. Her work has earned praise for balancing musical transparency with visceral theatrical power, qualities that have made her an increasingly sought-after collaborator among composers, directors, and major opera companies alike.

As the calendar flips to 2027, Candillari makes two important company debuts. She leads the Navarra Symphony Orchestra and a cast led by soprano Ruth Iniesta as Lucia and tenor Xabier Anduaga as Edgardo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor with Baluarte Teatro in Pamplona, Spain (January 29 & 31), and then makes her Seattle Opera debut leading concert performances of Léo Delibes’ Lakmé (March 5-7).

These performances build upon Candillari’s continuing tenure as Principal Conductor of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, where her leadership has been widely recognized for bold artistic vision, adventurous programming, and commitment to the future of opera in America. In the 2027 festival season, her sixth as Principal Conductor, Candillari leads a new production of Verdi’s monumental tragedy La traviata (May 29-June 27), featuring members of the Grammy Award-winning St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Alongside her operatic engagements, Candillari’s 2026–2027 season includes appearances with major orchestras and festivals across the United States and Europe, reflecting her growing international profile as a conductor equally at home in symphonic and operatic repertoire. Following high-profile European debuts with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra during the 2025–2026 season, Candillari continues to expand her international presence with engagements that showcase the breadth and versatility of her artistry.

Season highlights include her debuts with the Houston Symphony with pianist Conrad Tao (May 1-2, 2027), the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra with Grammy Award-winning pianist Michelle Cann  (March 12-13, 2027), and the Minnesota Orchestra (July 31-Aug. 1, 2026) alongside Grammy Award–winning mandolinist, singer, songwriter and composer Chris Thile. Candillari also makes a return to the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (February 18, 2027). Across repertoire ranging from Gershwin and Barber to Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky, Candillari continues to earn acclaim for interpretations that unite intellectual rigor with expressive immediacy.

Praised by The New York Times for conducting with “confidence and apparently inexhaustible verve” and by The Wall Street Journal for her “incisive leadership,” Candillari has established herself as one of the most compelling conductors of her generation. Whether leading new American operas, standard operatic works, core symphonic repertoire, or contemporary scores, she brings a distinctive artistic voice grounded in narrative instinct, rhythmic vitality, and deeply collaborative musicianship.

With a season spanning internationally renowned orchestras, influential opera companies, and landmark American operatic works, Daniela Candillari’s 2026–2027 engagements further affirm her position as one of today’s most dynamic and sought-after conductors.

For more information, visit danielacandillari.com

2026–2027 Season Highlights

Minnesota Orchestra with Chris Thile — July 31–August 1, 2026 (debut)
Enescu Festival — September 16–19, 2026 (debut)
Boston Lyric Opera — A Streetcar Named Desire — November 5-8, 2026 (mainstage debut)
Manhattan School of Music — December 3–10, 2026 (return)
Baluarte Teatro — Lucia di Lammermoor — January 29 & 31, 2027 (debut)
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra — February 18, 2027 (return)
Seattle Opera — Lakmé — February 26–March 7, 2027 (debut)
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra — March 12-13, 2027 (debut)
Lyric Opera of Chicago — Susannah — April 11-23, 2027 (return)
Houston Symphony — May 1-2, 2027 (debut)
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis — La traviata — April 25–June 27, 2027