The Dallas Opera has announced the selection of the 2024-25 participants in the Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors.

This season the conductors selected are Jiannan Cheng (China), Virginie Déjos (France), Anna Castro Grinstein (Spain/Argentina), and CJ Wu (Taiwan).

The musicians were chosen from a worldwide applicant pool of 94 conductors, the second largest group since the program’s inception. The applicants hailed from 28 countries and applications were reviewed by adjudicators comprised of conducting faculty from Southern Methodist University and the University of North Texas.

In a statement Ian Derrer, the Dallas Opera’s Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO said, “We are excited to feature these talented conductors from all over the world in the 2024/2025 Institute. We are committed to providing unique and exceptional experiences that help boost their careers.”

Cheng is the 2nd Prize winner of the 2024 Romania Orchestra’s Conducting Competition, a finalist in the Arthur Nikisch Conducting Competition, and a second prize winner of the 4×4 Competition for Composers and Conductors 2016.

Meanwhile, Déjos has collaborated with Radio France, the Lübeck Opera, and the Staatsoper Stuttgart while Grinstein has conducted at the Opera Holland Park, Gothic Opera, and is a conducting fellow for the 2023 Aix-en-Provence opera festival.

Finally, Wu has been invited to prestigious competitions and masterclasses including the Riccardo Muti Opera Academy, Järvi Academy, Cabrillo Festival with Cristian Macelaru, Chigiana Academy with Daniele Gatti, Britten Pears Academy with Antonio Pappano, and BBC Concert Orchestra masterclass with Marin Alsop.

The Master Conducting Faculty for the 2024-2025 Hart Institute are Emmanuel Villaume and Nicole Paiement.