Omaha Symphony Appoints JoAnn Falletta as New Principal Guest Conductor

Falletta will assume the role as of the 2026/27 concert season 

Nebraska’s Omaha Symphony has appointed American conductor JoAnn Falletta in the position of Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic Advisor as of the 2025/26 Season. 

In her new role, Falletta will regularly perform with the orchestra, assist with concert programming, plus recommend guest conductors and artists. 

Additionally, she will help maintain the artistic profile of the Omaha Symphony as it searches for its incoming music director.

A graduate of the Mannes School of Music and The Juilliard School, Falletta’s mentors included Leonard Bernstein, Jorge Mester, Sixten Ehrling, and Semyon Bychkov. In 1999, she became the first woman to lead a major American orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic, where she continues to serve as Music Director. 

Now a multi-GRAMMY Award winner, she has conducted nearly 2,000 orchestral works by more than 600 composers, including over 135 works by more than 70 women composers. Further, she is credited with performing close to 200 world premieres. 

Falletta also serves as Music Director Laureate of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the Brevard Music Center, and Conductor Laureate of the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra.

Among her accolades include 12 honorary doctorates from universities in New York, Virginia, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. She is also an esteemed member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 

“We are thrilled to announce a new partnership with the accomplished and acclaimed Maestro JoAnn Falletta!” the Omaha Symphony posted on Instagram. 

“JoAnn Falletta is a brilliant conductor and legendary leader, and the Omaha Symphony is honored to partner with her,” said Jennifer Boomgaarden Daoud, Omaha Symphony’s President and CEO. “In her past visits here as guest conductor, most recently in 2021, the chemistry between Maestro Falletta and the orchestra was dynamic, and we are excited that she will join us in such a significant role. She brings a wealth of talent and experience to our organization, and we are confident she will lead us into a powerful new era as we search for the Omaha Symphony's next music director.”