'I feel thankful every day that music chose me': Barbara Hannigan named Musical America Artist of the Year

Barbara Hannigan has been revealed as performing arts industry magazine Musical America’s Artist of the Year for 2025. The award, given to Hannigan in recognition of her ‘ferocious curiosity’ and role in ‘redefining what it is to be a musician’, comes as the Canadian soprano and conductor embarks on a tour of Canada and the US, presenting a programme of Olivier Messiaen, Alexander Scriabin and John Zorn with pianist Bertrand Chamayou.

With this latest accolade Hannigan joins a star-studded list of former winners including Leonard Bernstein, Benjamin Britten, Yehudi Menuhin, Michael Tilson Thomas, Zubin Mehta, Philip Glass, Sir Georg Solti, Andre Previn, Sir Simon Rattle, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Yo-Yo Ma, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Yuja Wang, Hilary Hahn and Lise Davidsen.

Talking about her award, Hannigan said: ‘I'm very moved by it. I looked at the list and it went straight to the heart, to see my name there. I'm from a small village called Waverley, in Nova Scotia. I had great music teachers and supportive parents and I just wanted to make music. I knew it since I was a child, that this would be my path. We musicians do not make music for the sake of honors or awards: we don't think of those kinds of things as we are working – we've just got our heads down into the scores, to trying to bring the composers' music off the page. We want the audiences to come with us, to share our passion. Over the years, even with some of the most modern or unknown music, I have felt the trust and relationship being built with audiences. It’s been more than 30 years since I made my professional debut, and the investment, day after day, of coming back to the score and putting in the hours, is the centre of my life.’

Hannigan began her career as a soprano, and grew up listening to the major North American orchestra during her studies in Toronto. She made her conducting debut at the Chatelet in Paris aged 40, and has been performing regularly in New York with orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, at the Armory, and as part of her residenceis with the Juilliard School. Having given her vocal debut with the Cleveland Orchestra 20 years ago, she made her conducting debut with the Cleveland Orchestra in 2019 in Miami, and returned to conduct them at Severance Hall in 2023.

Talking about her relationship with American audiences Hannigan said: ‘I built my career in Europe, having moved there in the last century to finish my studies, but my trips back to North America are always important for me. I also am fascinated by American music, and particularly by the group of composers writing in the early 20th century: Ives, Ruggles, Crawford Seeger, Riegger, Gershwin, to name a few. I am programming their works worldwide with various international orchestras, and it is always a thrill to bring this music to European musicians and audiences.’

Hannigan’s current tour is set to run until 16 December, after which her future is bright: ‘I am in a luxury position of being able to create my own programs and to decide with whom I want to work after 30 years,’ she said. ‘I still do a lot of world premieres or delve into unknown repertoire, or I'll combine old and new repertoire in ways that make sense to me… The new year brings conducting engagements with orchestras I love to work with, like Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic (with whom I will do an all-American program), Gothenburg Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, as well as quite a bit of singing. I feel thankful every day that music chose me.’