Kǎrin Hendrickson

Conductor

Kǎrin Hendrickson is a conductor equally at home with opera and orchestra. Engagements have include the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, the Orchestre national d’Ile de France, National Orchestra of Wales, Belgian National Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, among others.  Opera credits include Music Director for the premiere and tour of Opera for the Unknown Woman (Melanie Wilson/Fuel Opera), Music Director for Bloomsbury Opera, Chorus Master for The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and Chorus Master for Longborough Festival Opera. Karin prepared The Gulbenkian Orchestra’s semi-staged production of Eugene Onegin for Lorenzo Viotti, and served as Music Director for Opera Holland Park’s production of Hänsel and Gretel.

Kǎrin maintains an international profile as an exceptional orchestra and opera pedagogue.  She has prepared projects for multiple international concert houses, including Concertgebouworkest Young; the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland; the Royal Conservatoire of Music, Ghent; the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland; the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain; the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; return appearances with the London Symphony Orchestra/Guildhall School Orchestra Artistry candidates (including preparation of their side-by-side for Michael Tilson-Thomas); the Gulbenkian Orchestra (Portugal) for Mahler Symphony No. 3; preparation of young players for Gustavo Dudamel with the Barbican Centre (London) collaboration between the London Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic youth orchestras; visiting conductor for the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra and Marin Alsop on Britten’s War Requiem for the Southbank Centre at Royal Festival Hall (Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Learning and Participation);  and three Guest Artist appointments to lead the orchestra at North Carolina School of the Arts in performances including Bernstein’s MASS, the complete Nutcracker Ballet, and a recorded film version of The Nutcracker ballet during COVID-19 that aired on PBS.  In 2025, Kǎrin accepted the position of Director of Orchestras and Director of Graduate Orchestral Conducting at the University of New Mexico—a deliberate investment into the next generation of orchestral musicians and conductors. Her work at UNM runs parallel to her continued professional engagements.

Kǎrin has won numerous awards including the prestigious European Network of Opera Academies Young Conductor Residency (from a pool of nominated candidates across institutions including the Dutch National Opera (Netherlands), Snape Maltings (England), Helsinki Festival (Finland), and Opera Narodowa (Poland), was one of five conductors invited to the Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute of Conductors, and was one of three conductors invited as the Atelier des Créatrices d’Opéra at the Festival Aix-en-Provence (Academie), France. While at the Royal Academy of Music (London) she received two Gordon Foundation awards and the Fred Southall Memorial Prize in her final year. Other formative recognition includes nomination for the Nestlé-Salzburg Festival Young Conductors award, training at the Mozarteum under Siemens Prize winner Peter Gülke, talent grants from The Peabody Conservatory, and an award through Marin Alsop’s Taki-Alsop Fellowship.