Dallas Symphony Orchestra Appoints Enrico Lopez-Yañez as Creative Director & Principal Conductor of Pops and Specials

New role expands Lopez-Yañez’s artistic leadership of the DSO’s Pops and Specials while advancing the orchestra’s vision for programming beyond classical music

Lopez-Yañez’s three-year agreement with the DSO will begin on September 1, 2026

DALLAS (August 31, 2026) – The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) today announced the appointment of Enrico Lopez-Yañez as Creative Director & Principal Conductor of Pops and Specials (Nancy A. Nasher & David J. Haemisegger Chair | Dot & Paul Mason Podium), a newly created artistic leadership position that expands his role with the orchestra. Lopez-Yañez will serve as an artistic partner in shaping the DSO’s non-classical programming, developing new concert experiences while continuing to conduct multiple programs each season.

“Enrico has been an extraordinary artistic partner since joining the DSO as Principal Conductor of Dallas Symphony Presents in the 2023/24 season. He brings creativity and energy to every performance and approaches programming with a deep commitment to connecting with audiences,” said Michelle Miller Burns, DSO’s Ross Perot President & CEO. “In this new role, we look forward to broadening the scope of our Pops and Specials programming with innovative concerts that resonate with longtime patrons while inviting new audiences to discover everything the DSO has to offer. Enrico’s artistic vision, collaborative spirit and passion for engaging audiences make him the ideal leader to help shape this exciting next chapter for the DSO.”

“I am thrilled to take on this new role as Creative Director & Principal Conductor of Pops and Specials with the DSO and to continue building on the exciting momentum we’ve created through our non-classical programming,” said Lopez-Yañez. “Dallas is a city with endless artistic possibilities and an incredibly diverse community. I look forward to creating experiences that welcome new audiences, celebrate a wide range of musical traditions and showcase the remarkable versatility of our phenomenal DSO musicians.”

Beyond conducting the DSO and helping shape its non-classical programming, Lopez-Yañez will cultivate new partnerships, both within the Dallas-Fort Worth community and with today’s leading contemporary artists. Together with the DSO, he will develop innovative concert experiences that expand the possibilities of live orchestral performance and showcase the extraordinary versatility of the orchestra. Lopez-Yañez and his wife, vocalist Cassandra Pinataro, will be relocating to Dallas, allowing him to become more deeply connected to the community and create programming that reflects the region’s vibrant cultural landscape.

“Orchestras are one of the most versatile music ensembles that exist. I love exploring the different genres with which we can collaborate and finding new ways for people to experience and interact with symphonic music,” said Lopez-Yañez. “Whether you’re a lifelong classical music fan or attending your very first orchestra concert, I want every performance to feel welcoming, exciting and memorable. My goal is to create programs that showcase great music in all its forms while reflecting the creativity, diversity and energy of the Dallas-Fort Worth community.”

The DSO presents an array of non-classical programming each season, from immensely popular movies-in-concert productions to Broadway hits, blues, rock, jazz, tributes to iconic artists and more. Since joining the orchestra’s artistic leadership as Principal Conductor of Dallas Symphony Presents in the 2023/24 season, Lopez-Yañez has expanded the scope of this programming through innovative collaborations and dynamic original productions. Highlights have included “Disco Fever,” presented during the 2024/25 season, which celebrated disco favorites from the 1970s and 1980s and featured a “dance-off” led by Lopez-Yañez from the podium, and “La Vida Loca” from the 2025/26 season, which featured Lopez-Yañez’s symphonic arrangements of Latin pop hits of the 1990s and 2000s as well as an enthusiastic audience participation segment for the classic “Macarena” dance. Lopez-Yañez has also returned each fall to conduct the DSO’s popular Día de los Muertos concert.

Lopez-Yañez will lead the DSO in several concerts during the 2026/27 season, including The Music of Elvis with Frankie Moreno (Sept. 11-13), the Symphony Gala with Idina Menzel (Sept. 26), the DSO’s annual Día de los Muertos celebration (Oct. 30), Oops…I Sang It Again! Pop Queens of the ‘90s & ‘00s (Jan. 8-9), Disney and Pixar’s UP in Concert (Feb. 26-28), Everything I Know: Mandy Gonzalez Sings Lin-Manuel Miranda (March 19-21) and The Music of Billy Joel (May 21-23).

Photos and video of Lopez-Yañez can be found here and used with credit to the DSO. Interviews with Lopez-Yañez and DSO President & CEO Michelle Miller Burns are available upon request.

ABOUT ENRICO LOPEZ-YAÑEZ

Enrico Lopez-Yañez is redefining what it means to be a conductor in the 21st Century. Celebrated for his charismatic stage presence, genre-defining collaborations and passion for making orchestral music accessible to all, Lopez-Yañez is one of the most innovative and in-demand conductors in North America. He currently serves as Creative Director & Principal Conductor of Pops and Specials at the Dallas Symphony, Principal Pops Conductor for the Detroit and Pacific Symphonies, as well as Principal Guest Conductor of Pops at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. He previously spent eight seasons conducting the Nashville Symphony, where he also served as their Principal Pops Conductor. As a trailblazer in the symphonic world, Lopez-Yañez has premiered dozens of groundbreaking symphonic collaborations with artists including Dolly Parton, Kelsea Ballerini, Portugal. The Man, The Mavericks, Tituss Burgess, Trisha Yearwood, The Lone Bellow and The War and Treaty. His wide-ranging collaborations span genres and generations, featuring artists such as Nas, Common, Itzhak Perlman, José Carreras, Kenny Loggins, Stewart Copeland, Toby Keith, Leslie Odom Jr., Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Samara Joy, Ben Rector, Ben Folds, The Beach Boys, Tower of Power and Kenny G.

One of the world’s busiest conductors, Lopez-Yañez leads more than 100 performances each season with North America’s leading orchestras and performers. Highlights of the 2026/27 season include performances with Aida Cuevas, Bernadette Peters, Better Than Ezra, Cody Fry, Idina Menzel, Mandy Gonzalez, Megan Hilty and Pepe Aguilar. He will make appearances with the New York Philharmonic and Grant Park Orchestra while returning to lead the Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Houston Symphony, National Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Toronto Symphony and Utah Symphony among others. Past guest engagements include the Atlanta Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa), Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, St. Louis Symphony and more. As a composer and arranger, Lopez-Yañez’s versatility is equally expansive. He has written for artists like Big Sean and Mariachi Los Camperos, and he has been commissioned by major orchestras including the Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Detroit Symphony, Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, San Diego Symphony and many more.

In 2023, Lopez-Yañez was honored with the “Mexicanos Distinguidos” award by the Mexican government, recognizing outstanding career achievements by Mexican citizens abroad. A passionate advocate for Latin music, he has arranged and produced concerts including La Vida Loca, Latin Fire, Mariachi Los Camperos and The Three Mexican Tenors and has collaborated with Angela, Leonardo and Pepe Aguilar, Aida Cuevas, Arturo Sandoval, Lila Downs and Lupita Infante. Lopez-Yañez is the conductor on Los Aguilar Sinfónica Desde El Hollywood Bowl, the live recording released in 2026. In 2021, Lopez-Yañez conducted the critically acclaimed live streamed production of Daniel Catan’s opera La Hija de Rappaccini which received an Emmy® nomination.

Lopez-Yañez is also Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Symphonica Productions, LLC, a creative production company developing innovative Pops, Family and Educational concerts for orchestras. Symphonica’s shows have been praised as “incredibly special – and something that needs to become the new norm” (Lima Symphony) and have been performed by the Baltimore, Milwaukee, North Carolina, Phoenix, Seattle, Toronto and Utah Symphonies, among others. His work as a producer, composer and arranger can be heard on numerous recordings, including the UNESCO benefit album Action Moves People United and award-winning children’s albums such as The Spaceship that Fell in My Backyard and Kokowanda Bay. His work has received honors from the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Hollywood Music in Media Awards, Parents’ Choice Foundation and Global Media Awards, where he was recognized for his “catchy arrangements.” For more, visit: www.enricolopezyanez.com or follow @enricolopezyanez.

ABOUT THE DALLAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, under the leadership of Music Director Fabio Luisi (Louise W. & Edmund J. Kahn Music Directorship), presents more than 100 concerts each year at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, one of the world’s finest concert halls. Tracing its origins to a concert with 40 musicians conducted by Hans Kreissig in 1900, the DSO has become the most prominent performing arts organization in the Southwest and is a cornerstone of the 118-acre Dallas Arts District, the largest urban arts district in the nation. Through its acclaimed recordings and international touring, the DSO shares its artistry with audiences around the globe, extending its impact beyond Dallas.

The DSO is committed to its mission of inspiring and changing lives through musical excellence and serves more than 200,000 adults and children each year through performances, educational programs and community initiatives. The DSO’s education programs plant the seed for musical study and appreciation as well as success in academics and social development. The Young Strings and Kim Noltemy Young Musicians provide access to free music lessons and instruments for hundreds of students each year, and the Cecil and Ida Green Youth Concerts welcome more than 10,000 Dallas-area students to the Meyerson each season. For nearly three decades, the DSO has presented classical music to thousands through the annual summer Parks Concerts Series. DSO Cares offers performances in hospitals, senior living facilities and in partnership with other service organizations across North Texas, bringing the healing power of music to those who need it most.

The DSO is supported, in part, by funds from the Office of Arts & Culture, City of Dallas. For more information, visit dallassymphony.org or follow @dallassymphony on social media.

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