Minnesota Opera Appoints New Principal Conductor

The American conductor Christopher Franklin will step into the role for an initial term of three years

American conductor Christopher Franklin's first appearance as the new Principal Conductor of the Minnesota Opera will be Donizetti's The Elixir of Love in February 2024, followed by Puccini's La bohème in May.

Franklin was selected following a multi-year search that began before the pandemic. He has been associated with the company for 12 years, conducting a range of different repertoire — including two world premieres, Doubt and The Anonymous Lover.

Hailing originally from Pittsburgh, Franklin studied at Macalester College, the University of Illinois, and the Peabody Conservatory. He has conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Russian National Orchestra and the Russian National Philharmonic, the Tokyo Philharmonic, and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.

"Minnesota Opera is a company that I've had a long and fruitful relationship with for years and it seems like a natural development for our artistic paths to cross in this way," Franklin said. "Because my father was from Willmar, we spent our summers in Minnesota, so this feels like a homecoming of sorts."

"Since its inception, Minnesota Opera has been dedicated to new works and at the cusp of new ways of working, leading other developments in the field like intimacy direction," he continued. "It's an honor to be stepping into more regular collaboration with such a respected and forward-looking opera company and its wonderful artists."