James Gaffigan, HGO’s Music Director Designate for the 2026-27 season, will assume the role of Music Director in fall 2027. This season at HGO, Gaffigan is conducting Susannah and the 39th annual Eleanor McCollum Competition Concert of Arias. Elsewhere during the season, he conducts King Roger, The Golden Cockerel, and Porgy and Bess at Komische Oper Berlin. Previously for HGO, Gaffigan conducted Porgy and Bess (2025), Concert of Arias (2025), and The Marriage of Figaro (2011). Born in New York City, Gaffigan has had roots in Houston since his conducting studies with Larry Rachleff at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. He rose to prominence in the esteemed houses and concert halls of Europe. He serves as the General Music Director of Komische Oper Berlin, where he leads his fourth season in 2026-27, and as Music Director of the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra. A champion of new music, Gaffigan has led more than 30 world premieres. His early training in New York City’s public schools instilled a deep belief in music education and access to the arts, inspiring his extensive work with young musicians. Gaffigan earned his undergraduate degree at the New England Conservatory of Music, followed by conducting studies at the Shepherd School of Music, Aspen Music Festival’s Aspen Conducting Academy, and the Tanglewood Music Center. Gaffigan has conducted for the Metropolitan Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Opéra National de Paris, Zürich Opera, Vienna Staatsoper, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, and Boston Symphony Orchestra, among many others.