Stephanie Childress

Stephanie Childress is making her mark as a conductor of remarkable skill and has been likened to “other notable young conductors of the past such as Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Sir Simon Rattle” (Varsity). Her musicianship and command of a broad scope of repertoire has led to engagements with symphony orchestras and opera houses across the international stage.

Ms. Childress’ 2022-23 season began with her Glyndebourne Festival debut conducting The Marriage of Figaro at home in Lewes and on tour. Alongside the opera production, she also conducted the Glyndebourne Festival orchestra and chorus for performances of Mozart’s Requiem.

Returning to St. Louis to continue her position as Assistant Conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra—a role she has held since 2020—Ms. Childress led New Year’s Eve concerts, subscription weeks and tour with the orchestra across Europe. In addition, she will continue her duties as Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra.

Ms. Childress’ 2022-23 season also includes debuts with the Orchestre national d’Ile-de-France, Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin and New World Symphony, as well as returns to the North Carolina Symphony and Montpellier following the success of debuts last season.

Ms. Childress was awarded the second prize of the inaugural La Maestra conducting competition in 2020, and since then has led some of the top orchestras in France, including the Orchestre de Paris, Paris Mozart Orchestra, Orchestre de chambre de Paris and Opera et Orchestre national de Montpellier. In previous seasons she has also made several exciting appearances with U.K. orchestras, including conducting debuts with the London Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic and London Mozart Players.

Ms. Childress has attended masterclasses with esteemed conductors such as Sir Mark Elder, Paavo Jarvi, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Sian Edwards, Nicolas Pasquet and Johannes Schlaefli, and most recently took part in the Conducting Academie of the Aix-en-Provence Festival.

A passionate advocate of amplifying the role of music within today’s world, Ms. Childress has previously undertaken artistic residence at the Villa Albertine, a network for arts and ideas spanning France and the United States. As part of her residence, she assisted Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony as well as observed rehearsals with the Atlanta, Los Angeles and Chicago symphonies. As of 2022, she is also a Young Leader of the Franco-British Young Leaders’ Program, created by the Franco-British Council to further cooperation across both sides of the Channel. She is an active supporter of the Tri-borough Music Hub, an award-winning organization for music education, and has taken part in a number of programs with the association, including leading the junior string ensemble at an Artists for Inclusivity event and speaking at the Youth Music Conference 2020 held at the Royal College of Music. She has also appeared on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune.