New Assistant Conductor and Conducting Fellow at Baltimore Symphony

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has appointed Jiannan Cheng as assistant conductor and Tatiana Pérez-Hernández as conducting fellow for the 2025–26 season.

Currently music director of Orchestra Concordia in Pennsylvania, Jiannan Cheng has conducted orchestras across Europe, North America, and Asia, including Les Violons du Roy, the Stuttgart Philharmonic, Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini, Georgian Chamber Orchestra Ingolstadt, the Tianjin Juilliard Orchestra, and the Dallas Opera Orchestra. In opera, Cheng has held positions with Opernfestspiele Heidenheim, City Lyric Opera, and the Vienna Summer Music Festival, and was a participant in the Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute for Women Conductors. Born in China, Cheng studied conducting at the China Conservatory of Music, University of Washington, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and Hochschule für Musik und Theater Munich, As BSO assistant conductor, she will lead select family and education rehearsals and performances, as well as conduct several holiday, summer, and special concerts throughout the season. Cheng will serve as cover conductor for most classical subscription programs, advise during rehearsals, and contribute to the BSO’s community and education initiatives, among other responsibilities.

Tatiana Pérez-Hernández joins the BSO as its inaugural Conducting Fellow, a new program reflecting Music Director Jonathon Heyward’s desire to mentor rising conducting talent and build a foundation for further success. Pérez-Hernández will serve as a cover conductor for several BSO concerts and lead select education and community programs including side-by-side rehearsals with regional schools and BSO Play Date, an immersive side-by-side rehearsal for amateur musicians. Pérez-Hernández will receive guidance and mentorship with Heyward, Music Director Laureate Marin Alsop, guest conductors, musicians, and staff. Pérez Hernández has won prizes in competitions including La Maestra, Bogotá Philharmonic Women Conductors Competition, and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande’s Assistant Conductor Competition. She conducted the Chineke! Orchestra in the U.K. premiere of Florence Price’s Symphony No. 4, and collaborated with major orchestras across Latin America. She has assisted conductors at Orchestre Paris, Gothenburg Symphony, and SWR Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart. In 2022, she was named resident conductor of the Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra in her native Colombia. She is currently principal conductor of Estudio Polifónico in Medellín.