Chief Conductor Ulster Orchestra starting 26/27 season
Kapellmeisterin / Deutsche Oper Berlin
Assistant Conductor / Boston Symphony Orchestra
“… hugely promising …”
– Süddeutsche Zeitung
“… Her conducting technique is flawless …”
– Abendzeitung München
“Thursday evening’s performance turned out to be one of the BSO’s strongest showings this fall, a feat that feels even more impressive because of the last-minute baton pass. Throughout the evening, Handler led with confidence and authority; one would never have guessed she hadn’t planned the program herself. … Handler’s scheduled Symphony Hall debut – which features Cole and principal violist Steven Ansell in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante – is now on my don’t-miss list for next year. Put it on yours.”
– The Boston Globe
“…she never just delivers the music, she enlivens it…”
Valérie Groß, Deutsche Grammophon – Jury verdict on the occasion of the awarding of the Maria-Ladenburger Prize 2020
The German-Colombian conductor and pianist Anna Handler has been performing on stages and in concert halls around the world since her debut at the Salzburg Festival in 2022.
In November 2025, she was appointed Chief Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra, a position she will begin in the 26/27 season. Since the 25/26 season, she has served as Kapellmeister at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where she was invited to conduct eleven opera performances in her first season. She was previously a Dudamel Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the 23/24 season. Following her debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall, she was immediately invited back to conduct the orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl in July 2025. Last summer, Handler made her highly successful debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the Tanglewood Music Festival. She was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra by Andris Nelsons for a two-year term beginning with the 24/25 season and concluding in the summer of 2026, marking another important milestone in her career.
The 25/26 season will see her subscription debuts with both the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall in Boston. Other notable engagements include appearances with the Dresden Philharmonic and the New Years concert of the Royal Swedish Opera, as well as a concert at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg (Großer Saal) in April 2026 with Jonathan Tetelmann. She has previously conducted the Berlin Philharmonic Brass at the Dresden Music Festival.
Handler’s close relationship with the Salzburg Festival began in 2022 with her debut as Music Director of Kát’a Kabanová for the renowned Opera Camp series, followed by Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges in 2023 and Carl Orff’s Die Kluge in 2024. Further highlights include debuts with the Minnesota Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic, and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, as well as collaborations with Barbara Hannigan, Okka von der Damerau, Sabine Meyer, and Yo-Yo Ma.
Handler grew up in Munich and initially studied piano and conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich before continuing her studies at the Franz Liszt University of Music Weimar, the Accademia Pianistica Internazionale di Imola and the Folkwang University of the Arts. She completed her master’s degree in conducting at the Juilliard School in New York in May 2023. At Juilliard, she was the first conductor ever to receive the prestigious Kovner Fellowship.
As director of the Ensemble Enigma Classica, which she founded in 2019, Handler works with renowned soloists. She is particularly interested in technology-supported music mediation in real time. Conducting from the piano and chamber music collaborations with violinist Laura Handler are an important part of her musical identity.
Handler received the Rising Star Award from the European Cultural Foundation Europamusicale and is a scholarship holder of the German Foundation for Musical Life. She was also awarded the Maria Ladenburger Prize for Music in cooperation with WDR, the Cusanuswerk Foundation and Deutsche Grammophon.
Anna Handler is represented worldwide by Tanja Dorn at Dorn Music.
This approved biography is not to be altered or shortened without the management’s permission. Please replace older versions.
January 2026
Website: www.annahandler.com
