Known for her “unique sensitivity and a heightened attention to detail and texture” (The Washington Post) and “programming prowess” (Vancouver Sun), New Zealand-born Gemma New (ONZM) is Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and a highly sought-after guest conductor worldwide. She is the recipient of the prestigious 2021 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award and was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2024.
Highlights of New’s 2024/2025 season include her debut with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Canada, BBC National Orchestra & Chorus of Wales, Brussels Philharmonic, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Philharmonia and Musikkollegium Winterthur. In the United States, she returns to lead the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and The Juilliard Orchestra. Equally in-demand in the UK and Europe, she returns to the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Mendelssohn Academy Orchestra Leipzig, Kristiansand Symfoniorkester, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra della Toscana, Orquesta Sinfonica de Barcelona, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Bergen Philharmonic.
In her third season as Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, New conducts a string of fall 2024 performances in Wellington, Hastings, Auckland and Christchurch, featuring Lyell Cresswell’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and the New Zealand premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s Asteroid in the NZSO program The Planets: Elgar & Holst, also spotlighting violinist Christian Tetzlaff in a performance of Elgar’s Violin Concerto.
Among her recent season highlights, New made subscription debuts with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Vancouver Symphony and Orchestre National de France. In May 2024 she led two acclaimed programs after stepping in on short notice with the San Francisco Symphony, where she made her subscription debut, and with the Seattle Symphony. Her 2024 summer highlights included an engagement with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, where she led the world premiere performances of Huang Ruo’s City of Floating Sounds, and a return to The BBC Proms for a second straight year with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
New regularly appears with top orchestras in North America and Europe, having conducted the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, WDR Sinfonieorchester, BBC Philharmonic, Hallé Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, WDR Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lyon, Orquesta Nacional de España, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and many others.
2023/2024 marked New’s ninth and final season as Music Director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra in Ontario, Canada. During her tenure, she deepened the artistic excellence of the orchestra and expanded its reach into the community, launching the “Intimate and Immersive” concert series celebrating music by Canadian composers in a visually vibrant setting. Under New’s leadership, the orchestra embraced a bold programming style that built audiences significantly, highlighted by collaborations with many of Canada’s leading soloists, including James Ehnes, Timothy Chooi, Janina Fialkowska and Stewart Goodyear.
For four seasons, New held the title of Principal Guest Conductor with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. In her final season, she led the orchestra in three programs including Holst’s The Planets and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. In a testament to her support for new music, New’s programs featured works by Angélica Negrón and the world premiere of Katherine Balch’s Cello Concerto.
From 2016 to 2020, New served as Resident Conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra. In her final season, she led the 2019/20 season-opening concerts of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and conducted a concert broadcast live with Chris Thile on the nationally syndicated variety show Live From Here.
A former Dudamel Conducting Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New served previously as Associate Conductor of the New Jersey Symphony. In 2018 she was a Conducting Fellow at Tanglewood Music Center, where she led the world premiere of Michael Gandolfi’s In America. She is a past recipient of the David Karetsky Conducting Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival and an Ansbacher Fellowship, for which she was selected by members of the Vienna Philharmonic to observe rehearsals and concerts at the Salzburg Festival. As a Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Fellow, she studied Mendelssohn’s music with Kurt Masur in Leipzig and led the Leipziger Symphonieorchester. She was awarded Solti Foundation Career Assistance Awards in 2017, 2019 and 2020, before receiving the 2021 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award.
Committed to new music, New made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2013 with works by John Adams and Andrew Norman. In 2010, she founded the Lunar Ensemble, a nine-member contemporary music ensemble that premiered 30 works over six seasons. New has conducted works by Thomas Adès, Anna Clyne, Kevin Puts, Steve Mackey, Aaron Jay Kernis and many others.
New holds a Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting from the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, where she studied with Gustav Meier and Markand Thakar. She graduated with honors from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand with a Bachelor of Music in violin performance.