Known for her “unique sensitivity and a heightened attention to detail and texture” (The Washington Post) and “programming prowess” (Vancouver Sun), New Zealand-born Gemma New is Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and a highly sought-after guest conductor worldwide. She is the recipient of the prestigious 2021 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award and was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2024.

Highlights of New’s 2025/26 season include her debuts with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, KBS Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra, SWR Symphonieorchester, and Houston Grand Opera leading a production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. In the United States and Canada, she returns to lead the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. Equally in demand in Europe, she returns to the BBC Philharmonic, Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, and Bochumer Symphoniker.

Her 2025 summer highlights included her debut with Santa Fe Opera leading a production of Britten’s The Turn of the Screw and her return to the Hollywood Bowl to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

New regularly appears with top orchestras in North America and Europe, having conducted the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, WDR Sinfonieorchester, BBC Philharmonic, Hallé Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lyon, Orquesta Nacional de España, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and many others.

For four seasons, New held the title of Principal Guest Conductor with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. From 2016 to 2020, she served as Resident Conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra. She is a former Dudamel Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and served previously as Associate Conductor of the New Jersey Symphony. In 2018 she was a Conducting Fellow at Tanglewood Music Center, where she led the world premiere of Michael Gandolfi’s In America. She is a recipient of the David Karetsky Conducting Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival and an Ansbacher Fellowship, for which she was selected by members of the Vienna Philharmonic to observe rehearsals and concerts at the Salzburg Festival. As a Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Fellow, she studied Mendelssohn’s music with Kurt Masur in Leipzig and led the Leipziger Symphonieorchester.

Committed to new music, New made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2013 with works by John Adams and Andrew Norman. In 2010, she founded the Lunar Ensemble, a nine-member contemporary music ensemble that premiered 30 works over six seasons. New has conducted works by Thomas Adès, Anna Clyne, Kevin Puts, Salina Fisher, Lera Auerbach, Vivian Fung, Alissa Firsova, and many others.

New holds a Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting from the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, where she studied with Gustav Meier and Markand Thakar. She graduated with honors from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand with a Bachelor of Music in violin performance.