FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mexican Conductor Felipe Tristán Appointed New Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra
Brooklyn, New York, July 2025. Following a worldwide search that attracted more than 100 conductors, the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra (BSO) proudly announces the appointment of Felipe Tristán as its new Artistic Director, effective September 2025. Tristán, a dynamic Mexican conductor with an international career spanning North America, Europe, and Asia, has been closely tied to the BSO for nearly a decade in various artistic roles. His appointment marks a new era for the orchestra as it deepens its connection to the unique cultural fabric of Brooklyn while expanding its national and international profile.
A native of Monterrey, México, Tristán is recognized as an award-winning conductor in classical music, known for blending artistic excellence with a fresh, cross-cultural perspective. He currently serves as Principal Conductor of Ballet de Monterrey and Conductor at Manhattan School of Music. In 2024, he became the first Mexican conductor to receive the prestigious Muzyczne Orły Award from Poland’s Ministry of Culture and returned as guest conductor at the MET Gala. Recently made his conducting debut in Vienna and Italy.
“Help redefine what a symphony orchestra is today,” said Felipe Tristán, new Artistic Director of the BSO.
As Artistic Director, Tristán envisions a bold, inclusive future for the Brooklyn Symphony: “Brooklyn is a place of ideas, creativity, community, and all around one of the hippest places on earth. I want the BSO to reflect that, to be a space where we celebrate the classical canon but also innovate and experiment, and where we help redefine what a symphony orchestra is today. Together, we will aim to elevate the level of the orchestra to make it a reference point in the U.S. and an ambassador for Brooklyn’s artistic energy worldwide.”
Tristán’s plans include collaborations that push the boundaries of the concert hall, as demonstrated by the BSO’s partnership with J. Crew in 2024, as well as projects that unite classical music with fashion, film, multidisciplinary, and community-based initiatives.
“He demonstrated he is the clear choice to lead the BSO into its next chapter,” says Matthew Fontana, President of the BSO Board.
“Maestro Tristán went up against more than 100 candidates from around the world. He then delivered an engaging yet fun rehearsal cycle culminating in a blockbuster concert. He demonstrated he is the clear choice to lead the BSO into its next chapter,” says Matthew Fontana, President of the BSO Board. “His deep understanding of the orchestra, inspiring leadership, and forward-thinking artistic vision are exactly what we need at the BSO.”
The Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1973, performs regularly at the Brooklyn Museum as its resident ensemble and throughout the borough of Brooklyn. Known for its adventurous programming and diverse membership, the BSO is poised to become one of the most compelling cultural voices in New York under Tristán’s leadership.
About Felipe Tristán, BSO Artistic Director
Felipe Tristán is an acclaimed Mexican conductor whose versatile work spans symphonic, operatic, and ballet stages across North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. He currently serves as Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, where his dynamic leadership and international perspective are helping to shape a bold new chapter in the orchestra’s artistic identity. Tristán also holds key positions as Principal Conductor of Ballet de Monterrey and Conductor at the Manhattan School of Music.
At the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, Tristán is leading a bold vision to elevate the ensemble both artistically and culturally. He aims to deepen the orchestra’s connection to Brooklyn’s vibrant creative identity – diverse, cutting-edge, and unapologetically contemporary – while also positioning the BSO as a national and international reference point for artistic excellence and innovation. Under his leadership, the orchestra has previously expanded its reach through international tours to Mexico City and Mérida, and has also embraced inventive collaborations, such as a high-profile campaign with J. Crew in 2024. Tristán’s vision for the BSO blends classical tradition with fresh cultural relevance, redefining what a symphony orchestra can be today.
In 2024, he made history as the first Mexican conductor to receive the Muzyczne Orły Award from Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for Best Recording, for his album Flute Concertos: Penderecki & Reinecke with the Janáček Philharmonic (Hänssler Classic). That same year, he returned to conduct at the iconic MET Gala in New York and is featured in the DISNEY+ special In Vogue: The 90s, and completed a residency with the San Francisco Ballet. His recent guest appearances include performances with the Prague Philharmonic in Vienna at the Hofburg Imperial Palace and with the Orchestra Filarmonica della Calabria in Italy.
Tristán is a passionate advocate for contemporary music. As Principal Conductor of the Texas New Music Festival, he has led over 40 world premieres, mentoring a new generation of composers and conductors. He has also collaborated with GRAMMY®-winning organizations such as Belongó Afro Latin Jazz, appearing at Carnegie Hall Citywide, Carnegie Hall Nuestros Sonidos, Lincoln Center, and with the New York Philharmonic’s Bandwagon series.
A featured speaker at TEDx Zhengzhou and profiled in FORBES - Working Journal, Tristán was the First Prize Winner at the Klangkraft Orchester Dirigierwettbewerbs in Germany, and First Prize at the International Conductors Workshop & Competition in Atlanta. Tristán’s academic background includes studies at the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana – graduating with the highest honors, cum laude – as well as graduate studies at the University of Houston, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, the Escuela Superior de Música y Danza de Monterrey, and advanced courses in conducting at the Juilliard School Extension, and an executive certificate in Leadership Principles from Harvard Business School Online. He resides in New York City.
