Julian Pellicano

Bio

Known for his versatility across a broad spectrum of genres, dynamic interpretations andmeticulous technique,American-Canadian conductor Julian Pellicano has been recentlyappointed to the conducting staff of the National Ballet of Canada starting with the 24-25 seasonand is Music Director and Principal Conductor of Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Bringing anincisive musicality and collaborative spirit to every performance, he has built a wide-ranginginternational career leading the Winnipeg Free Press to proclaim that “his versatility is trulyastonishing.”

Associate conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra from 2013 - 2024, Julian conductedhundreds of performances on all of the orchestra’s various series, contributed to thedevelopment of the orchestra’s programming and established himself in the community as anambassador for the WSO. As a guest he has conducted orchestras in North America andabroad including the Seattle Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, the National Arts CentreOrchestra, the Orquestra de Valencia, Edmonton Symphony, the Louisiana Philharmonic, TheFlorida Orchestra, the Orquestra Sinfônica de Porto Alegre, the Hartford Symphony, OklahomaCity Philharmonic, and the Vermont Symphony among others.

Passionate about the intersection of music and dance, he has conducted numerous balletproductions and collaborated with internationally renowned choreographers including Lila York,Septime Webre and Jorden Morris. Guest engagements include performances with Hong KongBallet, Cincinnati Ballet and Orlando Ballet in addition to his extensive performing and touringwith the National Ballet of Canada and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

Highly experienced with live-to-film performances, Mr. Pellicano’s film project credits encompassmore than 25 titles including MilošForman’s award-winning filmAmadeus,Fritz Lang’sMetropoliswith its original 1927 score, as well as many legendary films scored by JohnWilliams, recent blockbusters, and classic films of the “Golden Age” of Hollywood.

Julian Pellicano studied conducting at the Yale School of Music with Shinik Hahm and duringthat time also worked with Kurt Masur, Peter Eötvös, Zsolt Nagy, Martyn Brabbins, Carl St.Clair,L’Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He wasa recipient of the Presser Music Award, awarded prizes from the Royal Swedish Academy ofMusic and Yale’s Phillip F. Nelson Prize for Musical Entrepreneurship.

His career grew out of unconventional beginnings, starting as a primarily self-taughtpercussionist, timpanist, drummer and accordionist, performing in a wide variety of styles,genres, bands and ensembles. He studied percussion at the Peabody Conservatory, the RoyalCollege of Music in Stockholm, Sweden, and at the Yale School of Music where he was amember of the critically acclaimed Yale Percussion Group. As a percussionist, he has performedin concert halls and festivals in North America, Europe and Asia. He also holds a degree inphilosophy from The Johns Hopkins University.