Stephanie Childress most recently conducted the North Carolina Symphony in January of 2024, for concerts in Raleigh and Wilmington that featured Debussy’s La Mer, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, and Anna Clyne’s Masquerade.
In the 2024/25 season, Franco-British conductor Stephanie Childress begins her tenure as Principal Guest Conductor of Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya. This season also marks returns to The Cleveland Orchestra and the New World and Utah symphonies, as well as Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Orchestre national d’Île-de-France, and Opéra orchestre national de Montpellier. She debuts with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hallé, Royal Northern Sinfonia, and MDR-Sinfonieorchester. From 2021 to 2023, she was Assistant Conductor of the St Louis Symphony Orchestra under Stéphane Denève. Last season saw her debut with the National Arts Centre Ottawa and the Detroit, Baltimore, and Cincinnati symphony orchestras. She is currently the Associate Conductor of the Sun Valley Music Festival.
Inspired to pursue conducting through her love for opera, Childress started the 2023/24 season at the Staatsoper Hamburg and returned to Glyndebourne’s autumn season for Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Last season also marked her debut at the Detroit Opera, with Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves, and the world premiere of Simon Voseček’s Ogres at the Prague State Opera.
Since her second-prize win at the 2020 La Maestra inaugural conducting competition, Childress has conducted Orchestre de Paris, Paris Mozart Orchestra, and Orchestre de chambre de Paris. In 2023, she made her debut at the Palais Garnier with l’Orchestre Pasdeloup.
Childress previously undertook a residency at the Villa Albertine, a network for arts and ideas spanning France and the United States. She is also a member of the Franco-British Young Leaders’ Program. A relentless supporter of youth music programs, she is passionate about conducting, coaching, and mentoring young musicians. She is currently the artistic director of the Sun Valley Music Festival Institute and returns to the Sarasota Music Festival in June 2025.