The Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) has named Laura Jackson its next music director, the fifth in the orchestra’s 100 year history.

Jackson currently serves as Music Director of the Reno Philharmonic, a post she will continue to hold. She has appeared as guest conductor with orchestras including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia, as well as with ensembles in Canada, France, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Algeria, the Philippines, and China. She was the first American to conduct the National Symphony Orchestra of Algeria, by invitation of the U.S. State Department.

Jackson made her MSO debut as guest conductor in April 2025 and this season, she is set to conduct the orchestra as Music Director Designate in November 2026, in a program featuring works by Carlos Simon, Rachmaninoff, and Tchaikovsky. Then, in May 2027, she will lead a program featuring Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.

She will assume the title of Music Director full time beginning in the 2027-28 season under an initial five year contract, succeeding John DeMain.

“During my April concerts, I felt a wonderful connection to these musicians and was astounded by their flexibility and responsiveness,” Jackson, who holds a doctorate and a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and studied violin and conducting as an undergraduate at Indiana University, said, per an official press release. “As Music Director, I will build on that legacy, forge new partnerships and strengthen the cultural fabric that makes this such a special community.”