Dallas Symphony Orchestra Appoints New Assistant Conductor
Shira Samuels-Shragg
Her appointment begins in the 2024/25 concert season
DALLAS, TX (March 1, 2024) – Music Director Fabio Luisi (Louise W. & Edmund J. Kahn Music Directorship) and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) announce the appointment of Shira Samuels-Shragg as the orchestra’s new Assistant Conductor (Marena & Roger Gault Chair). Four finalists were chosen from over 170 applicants worldwide. Auditions were held at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, Texas, on Thursday, February 29.
“I am delighted to welcome Shira Samuels-Shragg to the Dallas Symphony family,” said Music Director Fabio Luisi (Louise W. & Edmund J. Kahn Music Directorship). “She led the orchestra with poise and finesse, and I am looking forward to collaborating with her throughout her tenure.”
Samuels-Shragg will replace Maurice Cohn, who has held the position since the 2021/22 season. The Assistant Conductor leads the DSO in youth concerts, Community and Parks Concerts, select DSO on the GO performances and other concerts as assigned. Samuels-Shragg will also regularly assist the Music Director and guest conductors in the preparation of the orchestra for Texas Instruments Classical Series concerts.
“I am thrilled to be joining Maestro Luisi, the wonderful musicians and the fantastic team at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra,” said Saumels-Shragg. “I’m honored to become part of an organization that brings so much to both the local and international music communities.”
Samuels-Shragg is currently the assistant conductor for the Spokane Symphony and is finishing her second season as assistant conductor with the Plano Symphony. She is passionate about sharing the wonders of music with young audiences and has led education concerts for over 50,000 students. A fierce advocate for gender equity in the orchestral world, Samuels-Shargg was delighted to be one of four conductors selected for The Dallas Opera’s 2024 Hart Institute for Women Conductors. She is a mentee with the Taki Alsop Fellowship and co-founder of the Women Composers Series with the Plano Symphony. In May 2022, Samuels-Shragg graduated with her Masters in Orchestral Conducting from The Juilliard School, where she studied with Maestro David Robertson. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Swarthmore College, where she studied conducting with Andrew Hauze and piano with Marcantonio Barone.
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ABOUT THE DALLAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, under the leadership of Music Director Fabio Luisi, presents more than 150 orchestra concerts each year at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, one of the world’s top-rated concert halls. As the largest performing arts organization in the Southwest, the DSO is committed to inspiring the broadest possible audience with distinctive classical programs, inventive pops concerts and innovative multi-media presentations. As part of its commitment to the community, the orchestra reaches more than 243,000 adults and children annually through performances, educational programs and community outreach initiatives. The orchestra offers more than 200 chamber concerts in neighborhoods throughout Dallas each year, as well as music lessons to more than 1200 students as part of its Young Strings and Young Musicians programs.The DSO has a tradition dating back to 1900 and is a cornerstone of the unique, 118-acre Arts District in Downtown Dallas that is home to multiple performing arts venues, museums and parks – the largest district of its kind in the nation. The DSO is supported, in part, by funds from the Office of Arts & Culture, City of Dallas. For more information, visit dallassymphony.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Chelsey Norris, Director of Communications
c.norris@dalsym.com | 214.871.4063
Denise McGovern | Vice President of Communications and Media
d.mcgovern@dalsym.com | 214.718.7094