Biography

Praised as “a rare combination of technical skill, intense musicality, and a genuine passion,” conductor Jiannan Cheng has rapidly distinguished herself as one of the most exciting conductors of her generation. Winner of the 1st Prize, Orchestra Prize, and Audience Prize at the 2024 Hugo Alfvén International Conducting Competition in Sweden and 2nd Prize at the Orchestra’s Conductor Competition in Romania, she is recognized for her artistry that combines technical precision with illuminating musical insight and powerful emotional depth. 

Jiannan is the Music Director of Orchestra Concordia. She has appeared with ensembles across Europe, North America, and Asia, including Les Violons du Roy (Canada), Filarmonica de Stat Oradea (Romania), the Stuttgart Philharmonic, Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini (Italy), Georgian Chamber Orchestra Ingolstadt, the Tianjin Juilliard Orchestra (China), and the Dallas Opera Orchestra, among others. In the 2025–26 season, she will make her debut with the Dalasinfoniettan in Sweden and will lead the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in a wide range of education, family, holiday, and summer concerts.

Equally passionate about symphonic and operatic repertoire, Jiannan has held positions as Repetiteur and Assistant Conductor at Opernfestspiele Heidenheim (Germany), City Lyric Opera (New York), and the Vienna Summer Music Festival. She also participated in The Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute for Women Conductors in the 2024–25 season and was previously mentored by Riccardo Muti at the Italian Opera Academy 2019 in Ravenna.

Born in China, Jiannan’s musical journey began at the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She holds additional degrees in conducting from the University of Washington, studying under Timothy Salzman, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music under Mark Gibson, and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Munich under Markus Bosch and Alexander Liebreich. Jiannan has also received mentorship from world-renowned conductors such as Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Marin Alsop, Mei-Ann Chen, Kurt Masur, Riccardo Muti, Nicolás Pasquet, and Johannes Schlaefli.