Michal Oren, named a Classic FM 2026 Rising Star, is a conductor whose work is shaped by a deep sense of narrative and musical imagination. Originally from Tel Aviv, Israel, she was recently announced as the next Calleva Assistant Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (2026–27). She is also one of six semi-finalists in the upcoming 80th Concours de Genève Conducting Competition in November 2026.
Recent Seasons
Michal was recently invited to the renowned Gstaad Conducting Academy (summer 2026), where she will work with Jaap van Zweden, Johannes Schlaefli, and Alexander Shelley. She was also selected for the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship Mentoring Programme. In September 2026, Michal will participate in the 6th Evgeny Svetlanov Conducting Competition with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Previously, Michal held the Female Conductor Trainee position at Opera North in Leeds (2024–25).
Awards & Recognition
Michal won 1st prize in the 4th International Academy and Competition of Orchestra Conducting in Estoril, Portugal (2023) and 2nd prizes in the 5th Koussevitzky Conducting Competition in Grosseto, Italy (2025) and in the 3rd International Orchestral Conducting Competition "Universidad de Almería", Spain (2023). In 2024, she joined the two-year Women Conductors' Programme of the Royal Philharmonic Society with the Royal Northern Sinfonia and participated in the Young Conductors Showcase with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in Glasgow. Michal was the Residence Music Scholar of the Robert Anderson Trust (2022–25) and a long-standing scholar of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation.
Education & Guidance
Michal completed her Professional Diploma in Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London with a full scholarship under conductor Sian Edwards, holding the Bianca Falcone Sorrell Award. Previously, she earned her Master's Degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Royal College of Music, supported by a full scholarship as a Victor and Lilian Hochhauser Scholar. She holds two Bachelors of Music in orchestral conducting and clarinet performance from the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at the Tel Aviv University.
Among Michal's teachers are the conductors Sian Edwards, Martyn Brabbins, Toby Purser, Peter Stark, Howard Williams, Yi-An Xu, Doron Salomon, and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra principal clarinettist Yevgeny Yehudin.
Michal has participated in masterclasses with conductors including Daniele Gatti, Andrew Davis, Vasily Petrenko, Sakari Oramo, Nicolas Pasquet, Mark Stringer, Pascal Rophé, and Lahav Shani.
Artistic Vision
Alongside her conducting work, Michal is the founder of the Museum Orchestra in collaboration with the Petach Tikva Museum of Art. The orchestra performs a repertoire that offers a musical interpretation of visual arts exhibits. This project reflects her ongoing exploration of music as a form of storytelling, creating performances that respond and reimagine visual art through sound.
