You’ve built a remarkable career across Europe and the United States, leading orchestras with “uncommon emotional intensity”. When you step onto the podium, what are you hoping to communicate to both your musicians and
the audience?
I chose to become a conductor when I was about 14 or 15 years old, while playing the cello in our school orchestra. During a performance of a Mozart symphony, I started looking around and noticed that my friends were bored, and I wondered why Mozart’s music felt so uninspiring. I realised I could either focus on my own part or study the score deeply and share the composer’s message with the musicians and audience. I chose the latter; now when I step onto the podium, that’s what I strive to do.
You became the first female Music Director of the Lexington Philharmonic in 2022, alongside your role with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. How do you balance the demands of these two distinct orchestras, and what have these communities taught you about the evolving role of the modern conductor?
At the moment, it is impossible to be the music director of just a single regional orchestra as these positions alone don’t provide a full-time salary. Balancing two regional orchestras requires careful scheduling, close communication with my manager, Dan Visconti of Visconti Arts, and planning seasons well in advance (roughly two seasons ahead), alongside a busy guest-conducting career. It also demands organisation, quick thinking, physical and mental resilience, setting boundaries, and keeping family as a priority.
Artistically, I’ve learnt to rehearse efficiently, as time is money and we have less of both. I’ve also developed the ability to conduct diverse repertoires, arrange and orchestrate scores, and create programming that resonates with both the musicians and the community.
Administratively, I use technology and social media to reach audiences, inspire boards and staff, and maintain a visible, engaged presence in communities – even those I don’t live in – through genuine curiosity and participation. For audiences, I aim to bring energy, joy and creativity, remaining a fun, approachable guide while keeping the musicians at the centre. These experiences have shown me that conductors must be versatile and multi-talented, and that orchestras need leaders who can make a difference at all levels.
The documentary Maestra captured your journey through the La Maestra conducting competition, offering audiences a rare glimpse into the pressures and passions of your profession. What did that experience teach you about leadership, resilience and visibility in classical music?
Maestra has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. Since its release in 2023, people have reached out to me regularly. The director, Maggie Contreras, gave me a central role, likely because I shared the severe challenges I faced as a child – challenges that, sadly, many of us experience. Watching the film was sobering and reinforced the value of vulnerability, which I feel has helped others as much as it helped me.
I had hoped La Maestra would give me professional visibility, but I ended up performing last in the first round. The film, however, gave me far more visibility than the competition. It also highlighted the archaic nature of conducting competitions, exposing a major flaw in the field: competitions often reward minimal experience over artistry.
Winners or runners-up of conducting competitions are often signed by major management companies and propelled to conduct top orchestras, sometimes with minimal professional experience. This practice reflects a lack of artistry, musical knowledge, leadership and creativity, ultimately harming our already fragile field for short-term gain.
Managers and arts organisations should observe conductors during rehearsals for a full series, looking at their programming, relationship with the media and audience engagement. If you want to find talent in the US, also make sure to see them in Pops repertoire and rehearsals, as the future is with conductors who can conduct all repertoire at the highest levels and rehearse efficiently. That is where you find talent, leadership, human skills, artistry, creativity and people who will move the field forward.
And Goodness gracious, let young conductors grow! Conducting is not a sprint: you do not peak at 24 years old. Talent needs time and experience, and proper assistantships and smaller engagements allow them to learn without risking mental health or confidence, and audiences will respond to genuine artistry over image. Throwing them into guest conducting roles with the Vienna Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic or The Cleveland Orchestra, often destroys their mental health, confidence and artistic future.
Maestra also highlighted the challenges women continue to face as conductors. Did its success change how you see yourself within that conversation, or how others see you?
It gave me hope for our field that LA-based documentary makers were interested in that topic, and the film opened the eyes of thousands of people on what women face in our field. A couple of years ago, by pure luck, I flew a domestic flight sitting next to Nicole Stott, a retired NASA astronaut, who also happens to be very involved in new music. While talking with her, I realised that, as a woman, it’s probably easier to become an astronaut than an MD of a major orchestra in the US.
Your recent Carnegie Hall debut with the American Composers Orchestra showcased new works by living composers. What excites you most about championing contemporary music, and what responsibility do you feel to the next generation of composers?
What excites me most is working directly with living composers and seeing how they interpret their music and interact with it. It is exciting to see them shape our field for centuries to come. I have often wished that I could talk to Debussy or ask Elgar what the Enigma was.
My responsibility is to bring their music to life, listen to them and be flexible and patient. It is also my responsibility to help composers develop through residencies, to programme their music for their voices to be heard. In the US, private funding means composers must engage listeners directly, fostering a dynamic connection between music, musicians and audiences.
You’ve worked closely with an extraordinary range of creators. How do you decide which projects speak to you, and what draws you to reimagine familiar sounds through a symphonic lens?
I’ve collaborated with creators from Brittany J. Green to Shawn Okpebholo, arranged music by Dolly Parton, and recreated works such as Lully’s Bourgeois Gentilhomme Suite. I also headed the re-edition task force for Mary D. Watkins’s Five Movements in Color. My curiosity and love for orchestral sound led me to study orchestration, harmony, analysis and counterpoint at the Paris Conservatoire. When a project excites me and benefits the orchestra and community, I pursue it wholeheartedly.
Critics often describe your performances as emotionally charged yet precise. How do you achieve that balance between instinct and control, especially in moments of heightened intensity on stage?
That is interesting because most conductors have control issues, but only a few want or can get back to the instinct. What I call the instinct is being back to the naivety of a child, when everything is surprising, marvellous and full of mystery.
For a long time, my two favourite conductors were Claudio Abbado and Pierre Boulez, both on the polar extremes (instinct and control), while truly being passionate and authentic about music. Throughout my life, I struggled to find the right balance, and about eight years ago, I finally discovered my unique voice. I balance precision and emotion by combining disciplined preparation with the instinctive wonder of a child. It took years to find my voice, but this balance is where the magic happens.
You’ve been described as a “force at the podium”, but also as a deeply collaborative leader. How do you cultivate trust and connection with your musicians, particularly when stepping in front of a new orchestra for the first time?
I think of myself as a chamber musician making music with my peers. That is what I am trying to recreate when I conduct. My teacher at the Paris Conservatoire used to repeat to me all the time: “Mélisse, you do not trust the musicians”, and I really hated hearing that. Since then, I approach conducting like chamber music, trusting that musicians are equally prepared. Being authentic, acknowledging mistakes, and showing respect helps cultivate connection and inspiration.
As an educator and speaker, you’ve addressed audiences from the Curtis Institute to the French Embassy. What message do you most hope to share with young conductors or musicians who see themselves reflected in your journey?
I hope to share a message of joy, resilience, creativity and hope, showing young musicians that there is a place for everyone in our field.
Finally, when you think about the future of orchestral music and its audiences, its composers and its identity, what gives you the most hope?
I’m inspired by the diversity and creativity of those working on the ground to adapt orchestras to the needs of their audiences. Orchestras in schools, universities, and cities across the US expose millions to music, and the bottom-up efforts I see everywhere inspire confidence that the future of our profession is bright and evolving.
Juliette Barber was in conversation with French-born American conductor Mélisse Brunet. A rising presence on both sides of the Atlantic, she currently serves as Music Director of the Lexington Philharmonic and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. At the beginning of this season, Brunet made her Carnegie Hall debut, conducting the American Composers Orchestra in a programme dedicated to new works by living composers.
