Michelle Di Russo
A graceful yet powerful force on the podium, Argentinian-Italian conductor Michelle Di Russo is known for her compelling interpretations, passionate musicality, and championing of contemporary music. Recently appointed Associate Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony, she will begin her tenure in 24/25 working closely with Robert Spano. Di Russo is a recipient of the 2024 The Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award and a conducting fellow at the Verbier Festival. She is a former Dudamel Fellow with LA Philharmonic, mentee of the Taki Alsop Fellowship and a conducting fellow of Chicago Sinfonietta’s Project Inclusion program and The Dallas Opera Hart Institute.
This season’s highlights include guest conducting debuts with Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Calgary Philharmonic and Fort Worth Symphony. She will also be returning to conduct the Delaware Symphony and cover conduct for the New York Philharmonic as well as performing regularly with the Fort Worth Symphony as part of her position. Di Russo has been selected to lead a premiere of one of the Roche Young Commissions at Lucerne Festival Academy as part of a two-year project where she previously attended as a fellow. This summer, as part of her work as a conducting fellow at the Verbier Festival she assisted and worked closely with Simon Rattle, Klaus Mäkelä and Lahav Shani.
Di Russo has guest conducted LA Phil, San Diego Symphony, Vermont Symphony, Portland Symphony and worked as cover conductor for the National Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, LA Phil and NY Phil. She has held positions as Associate Conductor with North Carolina Symphony assisting Carlos Miguel Prieto, Interim Director of Orchestras at Cornell University, and is conducting fellow alumni of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music and a Joel Revzen fellow of the Napa Valley Festival.
During the pandemic Di Russo co-created Girls Who Conduct, an organization dedicated to bridge the gap between women and men in the conducting field and encourage younger generations of women and non-binary conductors to overcome any obstacles presented due to their gender.