School of Music alumna Jiannan Cheng (’14 MM, Wind Conducting) was recently appointed assistant conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. A former student of Timothy Salzman who also serves as music director of Orchestra Concordia, she will lead select summer, family, and community concerts with the Baltimore Symphony in the 2025-26 season.
Recognized for her artistry combining technical precision with musical insight and emotional depth, Jiannan is the recipient of a number of prestigious conducting prizes, including First Prize, Orchestra Prize, and Audience Prize at the 2024 Hugo Alfvén International Conducting Competition in Sweden and Second Prize at the Orchestra’s Conductor Competition in Romania.
Previous appointments include positions as repetiteur and assistant conductor at Opernfestspiele Heidenheim (Germany), City Lyric Opera (New York), and the Vienna Summer Music Festival. She also participated in The Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute for Women Conductors in the 2024–25 season and was previously mentored by Riccardo Muti at the Italian Opera Academy 2019 in Ravenna.
In the 2025–26 season, Jiannan will make her debut with the Dalasinfoniettan in Sweden in addition to her work with the Baltimore Symphony, which performs annually for more than 275,000 people throughout the State of Maryland.
“This couldn’t have happened to a better human being,” says Jiannan’s former UW professor, Timothy Salzman. “She is a wonderful person and incredible musician.”