Shira Samuels-Shragg

Praised for bringing “shape, purpose and fastidious detailing of dynamic contrasts and nuances” to her work on the podium (Dallas Morning News), Shira Samuels-Shragg is currently in her second year as assistant conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

In November, Shira made her unscheduled subscription debut with the DSO, jumping in for Maestro Luisi. Shira was recently awarded the prestigious Neeme Järvi Prize at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival in Switzerland, an honor that comes with an invitation to conduct the Sinfonieorchester Basel. Additionally, the current season includes returns to Spokane Symphony and The Dallas Opera and a debut with Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México.

Other recent highlights include debuts with the Chattanooga Symphony and the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, as well as her subscription debut with the Spokane Symphony. Previously, Shira served as the assistant conductor for the Spokane and Plano symphonies. Additional engagements include guest conducting concerts with the Corpus Christi, Irving, and South Bend symphonies, and serving as cover conductor for the New York Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra.

A musician deeply dedicated to diversity in the orchestral world, Shira was delighted to be one of four conductors selected for The Dallas Opera’s 2024 Hart Institute for Women Conductors, and to be chosen as a mentee with the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship.

Shira is passionate about sharing the wonders of music with young audiences and has led education concerts, sensory-friendly events, and family-oriented programs for over 90,000 students and their families. She is the co-founder and former music director of the Plano Symphony’s Summer Youth Orchestra Camp, and served as the assistant conductor for National Youth Orchestra USA 2022, where she returned as associate conductor in 2024.

In May of 2022, Shira graduated with her Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from The Juilliard School, where she studied with David Robertson. Shira also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a minor in German from Swarthmore College, where she studied conducting with Andrew Hauze and piano with Marcantonio Barone.

“Shira Shira Samuels-Shragg is one of the most interesting conductors of the young generation. Perfectly prepared and with excellent ideas, her communication skills seduce through clarity, originality, and a profound musicality—a great talent with a great future.”