Xian Zhang is Music Director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Emerita of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi. Current and upcoming seasons feature the Philharmonia Orchestra La Verdi, Spanish National Orchestra, Komische Oper Berlin, Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse, Warsaw Philharmonic, Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the symphony orchestras of Philadelphia, Detroit, Minnesota, Montréal, Toronto, and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. Xian Zhang will make her debut with the Metropolitan Opera in 2024. Previously, she led opera productions at Den Norske Opera Oslo, the English National Opera, Washington National Opera, and Cincinnati Opera. Xian Zhang is the first female conductor to hold a titled role with the BBC Orchestra. Winner of the Maazel-Vilar Conductor’s Competition, she was the New York Philharmonic’s Assistant Conductor, Associate Conductor, and first ever Arturo Toscanini Chair.