Shira Samuels-Shragg begins as assistant conductor at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra next season. Photo by Danny Cordero.
Shira Samuels-Shragg has been named assistant conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, effective with the 2024-25 season. Samuels-Shragg will succeed Maurice Cohn, who has held the position since the 2021-22 season. The assistant conductor leads the DSO in youth concerts, Community and Parks Concerts, select “DSO on the GO” performances, and other concerts. Samuels-Shragg will regularly assist Music Director Fabio Luisi and guest conductors in the preparation of the orchestra for Texas Instruments Classical Series concerts. Samuels-Shragg is currently the assistant conductor for the Spokane Symphony and is finishing her second season as assistant conductor with the Plano Symphony (Texas). Passionate about sharing music with young audiences, she has led education concerts for over 50,000 students. A fierce advocate for gender equity in the orchestral world, Samuels-Shargg was one of four conductors selected for the Dallas Opera’s 2024 Hart Institute for Women Conductors. She is a mentee with the Taki Alsop Fellowship and co-founder of the Women Composers Series with the Plano Symphony. She earned a master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Juilliard School in 2022 and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Swarthmore College.
