Tess Jackson is a dynamic British conductor who is quickly gaining international recognition. She has been named a Classic FM Rising Star and just completed a two-year tenure as Associate Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.   

Her versatility spans a broad repertoire with a commanding presence in both symphonic and operatic works. Most recently, her 2024–25 season included three separate concerts at the BBC Proms, with the National Youth Orchestra with Holst’s The Planets, Britten Sinfonia with Gavin Higgins’ Rough Voices, and the Royal Northern Sinfonia at the Glasshouse. Subsequently, she was named one of the BBC Proms' ten “exceptional” artists under 30 and one of the “brightest rising stars on the international stage”. She also made her Berliner Philharmonie debut, conducting works by Schumann and Chopin, and conducted A Form on Exile (a concert inspired by Edward Said) at the Southbank Centre.  

Other highlights include conducting the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, London Mozart Players, and the City of London Sinfonia; as well as collaborations with Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen, the Ulster Orchestra, and the Kammerorchester Basel.  

While assisting Jac van Steen on The Bartered Bride at Garsington Opera, Jackson made a highly acclaimed jump in, leading to the invitation to make her symphonic debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra (Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4). Having been awarded Garsington Opera’s 2023 Leonard Ingrams Award for “exceptional work both on stage and in the rehearsal room”, she returns to the house next summer to conduct two performances of La Traviata, while assisting Douglas Boyd.   

Other opera engagements include her celebrated ENO debut last season, conducting The Marriage of Figaro. At Volksoper Wien, she conducted performances of West Side Story and Cabaret, having been Musical Assistant in the 2023/24 season. At Lyric Opera Chicago, she has assisted Enrique Mazzola on two major productions, Fidelio and Cherubini’s Medea, and Trevor Pinnock on The Rake’s Progress at the Royal Academy of Music.  

This season, she returns to work with Royal Northern Sinfonia to conduct a programme of Prokofiev, Saint-Saëns, Ravel, and Poulenc, as well as collaborations with CBSO, Britten Sinfonia, and her continued work as Emerging Conductor Fellow with Chromatica Orchestra.   

Tess Jackson read music at Cambridge University, graduating with First Class Honours. She completed a Masters in Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music, where she was awarded the Conducting and Regency Award for outstanding achievement.