Nathalie Stutzmann

Biography

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 Principal Guest Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra from 2021 to 2024.

Nathalie made big news in the opera pit in 2023 with her debut at the Bayreuth Festival with Wagner's Tannhäuser. The performances resulted in her being named 'Best Conductor' of the year in the 2024 Oper! Awards. She returned to Bayreuth in 2024 for a revival of Tannhäuser and will be back in 2026 to mark the 150th anniversary of the Festival, conducting a new production of Rienzi.

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 the Atlanta Symphony features key pillars of the romantic repertoire including a complete Beethoven Symphony cycle and Missa solemnis.

With several notable debuts including the Czech Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich and her conducting debut at the Musikverein with Wiener Symphoniker; her season also includes returns to the New York Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, and Philadelphia Orchestra. In June 2025 she will return to Bruxelles La Monnaie to conduct Carmen.

Nathalie Stutzmann has signed an exclusive recording contract with Warner Classics/Erato and her first symphonic recording for the label of Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 and American Suite with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra was released in August 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, 2022 also saw the release of complete Beethoven Piano Concertos recorded with Haochen Zhang and The Philadelphia Orchestra. Gramophone praised it as "a brilliant collaboration that I urge you to not miss."

Nathalie started her studies at a very young age in piano, bassoon, 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 the most prestigious awards. Recognized for her significant contribution to the arts, Nathalie 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.