About Felipe Tristán, BSO Artistic Director

Felipe Tristán is one of the most distinguished Mexican conductors of his generation, with a career spanning the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Recognized for his versatility across symphonic, operatic, and ballet repertoire, Tristán has built an international reputation for musical excellence and artistic leadership

He currently serves as Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, Principal Conductor of Ballet de Monterrey, and Conductor at the Manhattan School of Music. In 2024, he made history as the first Mexican conductor to receive the Muzyczne Orły Award from Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for Best Recording, honoring his album Flute Concertos – Penderecki & Reinecke with the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, released on the prestigious Hänssler Classic label. That same year, he completed a residency with the San Francisco Ballet, returned as guest conductor to the iconic MET Gala in New York under the artistic direction of Anna Wintour and Baz Luhrmann, and appeared in the Disney+ documentary In Vogue: The 90s, which features his preparation process for the event.

Following his acclaimed Carnegie Hall debut in 2016, Tristán has led orchestras around the world, including the Prague Philharmonic, Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz, Zhengzhou Symphony Orchestra, San Antonio Philharmonic, Orchestra Filarmonica della Calabria, Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, as well as numerous ensembles across his native Mexico. Under his leadership, the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra has toured internationally to Mérida (2024) and Mexico City (2020).

Dedicated to contemporary music, Tristán is Principal Conductor of the Texas New Music Festival in Houston, where he has led over 30 world premieres and mentors emerging composers and conductors. His cross-genre projects with GRAMMY®-winning institutions such as Belongó Afro Latin Jazz have brought him to Carnegie Hall Citywide, Lincoln Center, and the New York Philharmonic’s Bandwagon series. In 2024, he also produced the album Schubert – Works for Flute & Strings, featuring musicians from the Met Orchestra.

His artistic vision combines the classical canon with innovation, building bridges between tradition and contemporary creation. His leadership has been profiled in FORBES Working Journal by Michael Fiedler, and he has appeared as a featured speaker at TEDx Zhengzhou.

Winner of First Prize at the Klangkraft Orchester Dirigierwettbewerbs (Germany) and First Prize at the International Conductors Workshop & Competition (Atlanta), Tristán holds postgraduate studies from the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana—where he graduated cum laude with highest honors—alongside studies at the University of Houston, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, the Escuela Superior de Música y Danza de Monterrey, advanced conducting courses at the Juilliard School Extension, and an executive certificate in Leadership Principles from Harvard Business School Online.

Upcoming engagements include a 2026 tour of Austria and Hungary with the Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra, debuts with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra and the North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at Prague’s historic Smetana Hall, and a return engagement with the Orchestra Filarmonica della Calabria in Italy.