Grammy Award–winning conductor Michael Christie has been named the Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Artistic Director of Ensembles at the Peabody Conservatory, leading the programming and direction of the Conservatory’s instrumental and vocal ensembles beginning in fall 2026.
Christie comes to Peabody from the New West Symphony in Southern California, and his conducting and music director career has included posts with the Phoenix Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Colorado Music Festival, Queensland Orchestra, and Minnesota Opera. As a champion of new works, he conducted the world premiere of Mason Bates’ and Gene Scheer’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay at Indiana University before making his Metropolitan Opera debut in February leading Kavalier and Clay. He won a 2019 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for Mason Bates’ and Mark Campbell’s The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, recorded with the Santa Fe Opera.
Grammy Award–winning conductor Michael Christie has been named the Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Artistic Director of Ensembles at the Peabody Conservatory, leading the programming and direction of the Conservatory’s instrumental and vocal ensembles beginning in fall 2026.
Christie comes to Peabody from the New West Symphony in Southern California, and his conducting and music director career has included posts with the Phoenix Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Colorado Music Festival, Queensland Orchestra, and Minnesota Opera. As a champion of new works, he conducted the world premiere of Mason Bates’ and Gene Scheer’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay at Indiana University before making his Metropolitan Opera debut in February leading Kavalier and Clay. He won a 2019 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for Mason Bates’ and Mark Campbell’s The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, recorded with the Santa Fe Opera.
The strategic addition of Christie to the faculty further strengthens Peabody’s offerings and provides invaluable mentorship to our students, who will continue to benefit from Joseph Young (AD ’09, Conducting) and his outstanding work as full-time faculty and conductor, ensuring continuity and excellence in Peabody’s orchestral activities.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to participate and contribute to Peabody’s century-and-a-half-long commitment of preparing students in an ever-evolving cultural and societal landscape,” Christie says. “I look forward to extensive collaboration with both faculty and students throughout the ensemble program.”