Nathalie Stutzmann

Nathalie Stutzmann is the music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the second woman in history to lead a major American orchestra. She was also the principal guest conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra from 2021-24.

Stutzmann made her spectacular debut at the 2023 Bayreuth Festival with Wagner’s Tannhäuser, with BR Klassik noting they had "never experienced such a standing ovation at a pit debut in Bayreuth." Oper Magazin described her as a true possessor of "the Bayreuth gene. These performances earned her the title of best conductor in the 2024 Oper! Awards. She returned in 2024 for a revival of the production that saw the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung describe her as "…a genius who makes the music irresistible." She returned again to Bayreuth to mark the 150th anniversary of the Festival in 2026, conducting a new production of Rienzi in addition to the revival of Tannhäuser. Her opera debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 2023 was declared by the New York Times as "the coup of the year."

The 2024-25 season with Atlanta Symphony featured key pillars of the romantic repertoire including Bruckner Symphony No. 4, Mahler Symphony No. 1 and Strauss Eine Alpensinfonie, alongside a complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies and the Missa Solemnis.

With several notable debuts including Czech Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich, and her conducting debut at the Musikverein with the Wiener Symphoniker, her 2024-25 season also included returns to the New York Philharmonic with two programs as their featured artist, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Philadelphia Orchestra, and LA Philharmonic. In June 2025 she will return to Bruxelles La Monnaie to conduct Carmen.

Stutzmann has signed an exclusive recording contract with Warner Classics/Erato and her first symphonic recording for the label of Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 and American Suite with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra released in September 2024.

Awarded the 2023 Opus Klassik concerto recording of the year for her recording of Glière and Mosolov Harp concertos with Xavier de Maistre and WDR Sinfonieorchester, Stutzmann's 2022 also saw the release of complete Beethoven piano concertos recorded with Haochen Zhang and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Gramophone praised it as a "a brilliant collaboration that I urge you to not miss."

Stutzmann started her studies at a very young age in piano, bassoon, and cello and studied conducting with the legendary Finnish teacher Jorma Panula.

As one of today’s most esteemed contraltos, she has made more than 80 recordings and received numerous prestigious awards. Recognized for her significant contribution to the arts, Stutzmann was named Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, France’s highest honor, and Commandeur dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.