ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Jiannan Cheng
Praised as“ a rare combination of technical skill, intense musicality, and a genuine passion,” conductor Jiannan Cheng has quickly established herself as one of the most dynamic artists of her generation. She is the 1st Prize, Orchestra Prize, and Audience Prize winner of the 2024 Hugo Alfvén International Conducting Competition in Sweden and 2nd Prize laureate of the Orchestra’ s Conductor Competition in Romania.
Jiannan is the newly appointed Assistant Conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of Orchestra Concordia. She has conducted ensembles across Europe, North America, and Asia, including Les Violons du Roy, Filarmonica de Stat Oradea, the Stuttgart Philharmonic, Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini, Georgian Chamber Orchestra Ingolstadt, the Tianjin Juilliard Orchestra, and the Dallas Opera Orchestra. Upcoming highlights in the 2025 – 26 season include her debut with the Dalasinfoniettan in Sweden and a wide range of performances with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Equally devoted to symphonic and operatic repertoire, Jiannan has held positions with Opernfestspiele Heidenheim, City Lyric Opera, and the Vienna Summer Music Festival. She has participated in The Dallas Opera’ s Hart Institute for Women Conductors and was mentored by Riccardo Muti at the Italian Opera Academy in Ravenna in 2019.
Born in China, Cheng began her training at the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing and later earned conducting degrees from the University of Washington, studying under Timothy Salzman, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music under Mark Gibson, and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Munich under Markus Bosch. She has also received mentorship from Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Marin Alsop, Mei-Ann Chen, Kurt Masur, Nicolás Pasquet, and Johannes Schlaefli.
Juho Pohjonen
Lauded for his“ impeccable technique”( The Washington Post) and“ elegant musicianship”( The New York Times), pianist Juho Pohjonen is in demand internationally as an orchestral soloist, recitalist, and chamber performer. An ardent exponent of Scandinavian music, Pohjonen’ s growing discography offers a showcase of music by Finnish compatriots such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kaija Saariaho, and Jean Sibelius.
The“ fast rising Finnish star” has garnered acclaim as a“ delightfully unassuming but bewitching soloist”( The Guardian) in recent engagements with the Los Angeles, BBC, Taiwan, and Deutsche Radio Philharmonics; Cleveland and Minnesota Orchestras; the San Francisco, Atlanta, New Jersey, and Colorado Symphonies; National Arts Centre Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Danish National Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra of London, and the Mostly Mozart Festival.
8 | Baltimore Symphony Orchestra