Euan Shields
| Euan Shields | |
|---|---|
 Euan Shields Mar2023 Credit Alex Burns The Halle-scaled.jpg Conductor Euan Shields wins the Siemens Hallé International Conductors Competition 2023 | |
| Born | Osaka, Japan |
| 🎓 Alma mater | The Juilliard School; UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music |
| 💼 Occupation | Conductor |
| 🏅 Awards | Siemens Hallé International Conducting Competition (2023); Korean National Symphony Orchestra International Conducting Competition, second prize (2024); 5th Evgeny Svetlanov International Conducting Competition (2022), Finalist; Solti Foundation Career Assistance Awards (2023–2025) |
Euan Shields is a Japan-born American conductor based in Manchester, England. In 2023 he won the Siemens Hallé International Conductors Competition, leading to his appointment as Assistant Conductor of The Hallé and Music Director of the Hallé Youth Orchestra.[1][2][3] In 2024 he received second prize at the Korean National Symphony Orchestra International Conducting Competition in Seoul,[4] and he has been recognized by the Solti Foundation U.S. with Career Assistance Awards in 2023–2025.[1] His work is noted for cross-cultural programming and engaging younger audiences through contemporary repertoire and outreach with youth orchestras.[5][6]
Early life and education
Shields was born in Osaka, Japan, and raised in Tokyo before moving to the United States as a teenager.[1] He began cello studies at age eight and was soon performing in local youth orchestras. During high school in San Francisco he joined the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and co-founded the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra with peers, organizing concerts across the city.[1]
He earned a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance and Conducting from the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, studying cello with Antonio Lysy and conducting with Neal Stulberg, supported by the Peter Falk Scholarship.[1] Shields completed a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting at The Juilliard School in 2023, studying under David Robertson.[1]
While at Juilliard, he served as assistant and cover conductor for John Adams, Xian Zhang, Jeffrey Milarsky, and Jonathan Heyward, leading ensembles including the Juilliard Lab Orchestra and AXIOM.[1] He also participated in international masterclasses with Jorma Panula, Johannes Schlaefli, and Nicolas Pasquet, and was a semifinalist in the Llíria City of Music International Conducting Competition in Spain.[1] In 2022, he was a Finalist and recipient of an Honorary Diploma at the 5th Evgeny Svetlanov International Conducting Competition held in Monaco.[7]
Professional career
After winning the Siemens Hallé International Conductors Competition—selected from over 200 candidates from six continents[2]—Shields joined The Hallé as Assistant Conductor to Sir Mark Elder and Music Director of the Hallé Youth Orchestra in 2023.[1] In these roles he assists in mainstage programming, leads rehearsals, and conducts two annual concerts and a “side-by-side” performance each season with the Hallé Youth Orchestra.[6]
Shields has conducted performances with The Hallé, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, the South Denmark Philharmonic, Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, the Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra, the Gstaad Festival Orchestra, the Juilliard Lab Orchestra, and AXIOM.[1][5] In the 2025–2026 season he is scheduled to make debuts with the Düsseldorf Symphoniker, the New Japan Philharmonic, and the Osaka Symphony Orchestra.[1]
In 2024 he conducted Yu Kuwabara’s Falling Leaves, Moon Steps for The Hallé’s “Japan Week,” a program combining Japanese instruments such as shamisen and shakuhachi with Western orchestra to celebrate cultural exchange between Japan and the United Kingdom.[6] His programming often explores music as a bridge between communities and emphasizes mentorship, empathy, and the social role of the conductor.[8]
This season Shields will debut in Japan, conducting the Osaka Symphony Orchestra on November 24,2025 and the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra on January 9, 2026.
Earlier in his career, Shields made his European debut at the Prague Summer Nights Festival Orchestra in the Estates Theatre and worked with ensembles at Juilliard and UCLA.[1]
Awards
- Winner, Siemens Hallé International Conducting Competition (2023)[1][2][3]
- Second prize, Korean National Symphony Orchestra International Conducting Competition (2024)[1]
- Career Assistance Awards, Solti Foundation U.S. (2023–2025)[1][9]
- Finalist & Honorary Diploma, 5th Evgeny Svetlanov International Conducting Competition (2022)[10]
- Semifinalist, Llíria City of Music International Conducting Competition (2022)[1]
Reception
Press coverage has appeared in The Guardian, Classical Music Magazine, Manchester Japan, and Bachtrack, the latter describing Shields as “making waves at The Hallé” for his collaborative and empathetic rehearsal style.[11][5]
External links
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 "Biography – Euan Shields". euanshields.com. 11 February 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "2023 Siemens Hallé International Conductors Competition: winner announced". Classical Music. Our Media Ltd. 15 March 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Euan Shields Wins Siemens Hallé International Conductors Competition". UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. University of California, Los Angeles. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ↑ "German conductor wins int'l competition by Korean National Symphony Orchestra - The Korea Times". www.koreatimes.co.kr. 2024-11-11. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Dunn, Lawrence (17 June 2025). "Making waves at the Hallé: Euan Shields". Bachtrack. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Interview: Euan Shields, Assistant Conductor of the Hallé and Musical Director of the Hallé Youth Orchestra". Manchester Japan. 14 August 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ↑ "The Winners Biographies — Evgeny Svetlanov International Conducting Competition". svetlanov-evgeny.com. July 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ↑ "Movement on the Podium: Diversity and Inclusion — An interview with Euan Shields". Seesee Podcast (Podcast). 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ↑ "The Solti Foundation U.S. Announces 18 Career Assistance Awards for 2025". soltifoundation.us. 2025-04-25. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ↑ "The Winners Biographies — Evgeny Svetlanov International Conducting Competition". svetlanov-evgeny.com. July 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ↑ Maddocks, Fiona (18 March 2023). "The week in classical: Siemens Hallé international conductors competition; LSO/ Hannigan; Turandot – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
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