Anna Handler has been appointed the Chef Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra starting September 2026.

As the new chief conductor Handler will be working in partnership with the Orchestra to grow the artistic identity of the organization in breadth and depth, taking the level of performance to new heights on the international stage.

In a statement she said, “Over the next three years, we’ll ask what it means to be an orchestra that belongs to now: alive, questioning, connected. Every phrase a conversation, every silence a choice. We’ll play as if it were the first or the last time – because real music doesn’t perform; it becomes. I feel deeply honoured to lead this journey – together, with the Ulster Orchestra musicians and the wider team. I feel grateful for their trust to have been chosen as their new chief conductor – aresponsibility I carry with joy and curiosity.”

Auveen Sands, Ulster Orchestra Chief Executive and Patrick McCarthy, Artistic Director, added, “Of Anna’s many remarkable qualities, her ability to genuinely connect with musicians and audiences is what makes this such an exciting appointment. That ability was immediately evident in a recent concert in Derry~Londonderry’sGuildhall, bringing a new energy and collaborative spirit to the Ulster Orchestra’s superb music making. We’ve already agreed on some exciting and deeply meaningful programmes for next year, and can’t wait to share them with audiences in Northern Ireland, and beyond.”

Handler is a former Gustavo Dudamel Fellow and current Assistant Conductor at the Boston Symphony Orchestra and recently began her tenure as Kapellmeister of Deutsche Oper Berlin in September 2025.

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