Julian Wachner

Born in California and raised in New York City, Julian Wachner is one of North America’s most exciting and versatile musicians, sought-after as conductor, composer, and keyboard artist.

In his new position as the inaugural Director of Music and the Arts at New York’s historic Trinity Wall Street, Wachner serves as Principal Conductor of the Trinity Choir, the Trinity Baroque Orchestra and NOVUS NY, in addition to overseeing Trinity’s numerous and varied concert offerings, museum expositions, dance and theatre performances, poetry and literary readings, and educational and outreach initiatives in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.

This appointment complements his existing roles as Music Director of the Kennedy Center’s Grammy Award-winning Washington Chorus and as Principal Conductor of Opera McGill, Montreal. Wachner has also made memorable guest appearances with such major music ensembles as the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Montreal and Pittsburgh Symphonies, Glimmerglass Opera, New York City Opera and the Boston Pops. A Baroque specialist, he was the founding Music Director of the Boston Bach Ensemble and the Bach Académie de Montréal, besides serving as Artistic Director of International Bach Festivals in Boston and Montreal.

Wachner’s performances inspire uncommon praise. Of his interpretation of Bach’s St Matthew Passion, according to the Boston Globe, “There was genius here and no mistaking it.” The Inquirer observed: “Few conductors have drawn such focused, committed, and meticulous music-making as Julian Wachner. As a result, its critic “couldn’t help fantasize that [Wachner] might do an annual Philadelphia Orchestra festival of Bach and Handel.”

Last season, Wachner made New York City Opera history when he was selected as both Conductor and Composer at the company’s annual VOX festival of contemporary opera.

Wachner is also an award-winning organist and improvisateur, as well as a concert pianist, recently giving an all-Rachmaninov performance at the Kennedy Center. Wachner’s recordings are with the Chandos, Naxos, Atma Classique, Arsis, Dorian, Musica Omnia, and Titanic labels.