Biography

Nicole Paiement has an international reputation as a conductor of contemporary music and opera. She is the Founder, Conductor and Artistic Director of Opera Parallèle in San Francisco and has helmed the world or American premiere of many new works. Under her baton, OP has earned rave reviews for its innovative work in opera. She is Principal Guest Conductor at The Dallas Opera where she also mentors for the Hart Institute for Women Conductors. Recent productions in Dallas include the American premiere of Van der Aa’s Sunken Garden, and the world premiere of Talbot’s Everest. In 2016, she was awarded the American Composer’s Forum “Champion of the New Music” Award for her outstanding contribution to New Music. As guest conductor, she recently appeared with The Washington National Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Seattle Opera. Upcoming engagements include debuts at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opéra de Montréal and the BBC Symphony at the Barbican London. In 2019, Paiement will also conduct the world premiere of Jake Heggie’s If I Were You with the Merola Opera Program.