James Gaffigan
born in New York, won first prize at the 2004 Sir Georg Solti International Conducting Competition. He is currently Chief Conductor of the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester and Principal Guest Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln.

He is also in great demand with leading orchestras throughout the world. Guest engagements have included the Münchner Philharmoniker, Staatskapelle Dresden, DSO and RSO Berlin, Leipzig and Stuttgart Radio Orchestras; BBC Symphony, London Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra; Rotterdam Philharmonic, Zurich Tonhalle, Camerata Salzburg, Czech Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, and Sydney Symphony. In the USA, he has worked with the Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Chicago, San Francisco, St Louis, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Minnesota, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Baltimore, and National Symphony Orchestras.

Following his debut at the Vienna State Opera with La Bohème in the 2011/12 season, he was immediately invited back for Don Giovanni in 2012/13. A continuing relationship with Glyndebourne has seen him conduct La Cenerentola, Falstaff, and Così fan tutte. US appearances have included Don Giovanni and Le nozze di Figaro at the Aspen Music Festival and Figaro at Houston Opera.