Conductor Mei-Ann Chen has been appointed Director of Orchestral Activities and Chair of the Conducting Program at the Manhattan School of Music, effective July 1, 2026.

In her new role, Chen, who takes over George Manahan, will provide artistic and strategic leadership for the MSM orchestra program, teach and mentor conducting students, and regularly conduct the MSM Symphony Orchestra.

“It is such an honor to join Manhattan School of Music, a globally renowned conservatory, and its esteemed faculty,” said Chen, per an official press release. “Since the beginning of my professional career, I have been an advocate for tomorrow’s artists and the importance of quality education because I would not be where I am today if it weren’t for the phenomenal mentors who saw the possibilities I couldn’t see for myself.”

Chen has served as Music Director of the Chicago Sinfonietta since 2011 and as Chief Conductor of Recreation – Grosses Orchester Graz at Styriarte in Austria since 2021. She is also Artistic Advisor of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Partner of Houston’s ROCO and the Northwest Sinfonietta. Her guest conducting credits span more than 160 orchestras across the Americas, Europe, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, and her native Taiwan, including the San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, among many others.

Chen has also been a dedicated mentor to young conductors through programs including the Chicago Sinfonietta Freeman Conducting Fellowship and the Taki Alsop Fellowship.

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