American conductor Na’Zir McFadden, recipient of the 2026 Sphinx Medal of Excellnce, is emerging as one of the most compelling young conductors of his generation. Known for connecting audiences through dynamic, expressive performances that honor tradition while embracing fresh perspectives, he has been celebrated for his “great conducting technique and energetic podium presence” (The Philadelphia Inquirer), while Boston Classical Review praises the “rhythmic vitality and naturally expressive nuances” of his interpretations. McFadden brings fresh dimension to the orchestral canon while championing contemporary voices and expanding the reach of symphonic music today.
Beginning in the 2025/26 season, McFadden serves as Assistant Conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony. This appointment follows his tenure as Assistant Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra from 2022–2025. In Detroit, he worked closely with Music Director Jader Bignaminiand collaborated with artists including Sir Donald Runnicles, Osmo Vänskä, Leonard Slatkin, Jessie Montgomery, Billy Childs, Anna Clyne, Awadagin Pratt, and Steven Banks. His work in Detroit also reflected a strong commitment to education and community engagement, fostering collaborations with schools, local organizations, and cultural institutions across the city.
At just 25 years old, McFadden’s career highlights include debuts with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Dresdner Philharmonie, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Utah Symphony, Nashville Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago in a recording project featuring violinist Hilary Hahn. He also maintains a close relationship with the Philadelphia Ballet.
During the 2025/26 season, he will make his debut with the San Diego Symphony, return to the Philadelphia Ballet, and lead multiple programs with the Jacksonville Symphony.
In 2024, McFadden was a Conducting Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where he was mentored by Andris Nelsons, Gustavo Dudamel, Alan Gilbert, Thomas Wilkins, and Dima Slobodeniouk. During the fellowship, he conducted the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in numerous performances, including a last-minute step-in to conduct Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 in Ozawa Hall.
This past summer, he returned to Tanglewood to conduct two performances. First, he led the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Orchestra in a program featuring works by Price and Shostakovich. He then shared the podium with Elim Chan and Keith Lockhart for the annual Tanglewood on Parade concert in the Koussevitzky Music Shed, conducting Aaron Copland's A Lincoln Portait alongside historian Heather Cox Richardson.
Born in Philadelphia, McFadden began his musical training as a clarinetist at age nine before turning to conducting while still in school. He studied conducting with Paul Bryan of the Curtis Institute of Music and later at DePaul University with Cliff Colnot. In 2020, he became the Robert L. Poster Conducting Apprentice of the New York Youth Symphony and was also appointed the inaugural Apprentice Conductor of the Philadelphia Ballet.
With a leadership style that is both passionate and inclusive, Na’Zir McFadden continues to redefine what it means to be a 21st-century conductor—one whose impact extends far beyond the downbeat.
