Claire Lewis

Conductor | December 20, 2026: Majestic Fifths

Claire Lewis is a dynamic young conductor based in New York City whose bold musical voice and compelling presence have established her as a distinctive emerging artist of her generation.

Claire participated in The Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute for Women Conductors in February and will return to the company for the 2026–27 season as the Martha R. and Preston A. Peak Conducting Fellow. Recent engagements include guest conducting the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, NYC Orchestra Project, and joining the Aspen Music Festival and School as a Conducting Fellow. She previously served as the New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s Harmony Conducting Fellow, Richmond Symphony’s inaugural Conducting Apprentice, and a Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship Mentee.

Claire made her conducting debut at the age of 19 at Carnegie Hall with the Chamber Orchestra of New York after winning the Respighi Prize. She has since conducted orchestras around the world, including the Orchestre Métropolitain, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, and National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra. She earned her Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where she studied with Marin Alsop. Her additional conducting mentors include Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Robert Spano, and Gerard Schwarz.