NICOLE PAIEMENT
Conductor
Artistic Director & Founder
Opera Parallèle
Nicole Paiement has an international reputation as a conductor of contemporary music and opera. As Artistic Director of Opera Parallèle in San Francisco, Paiement has been responsible for helming the world or American premiere of many new works. Under her baton, the company has earned rave reviews for its innovative work in contemporary opera.
Paiement is Principal Guest Conductor at The Dallas Opera where she also serves as mentor for the Hart Institute for Women Conductors. Recent productions in Dallas includes the American premiere of Michel Van der Aa’s Sunken Garden, Britten’s The Turn of the Screw and the world premiere of Joby Talbot’s Everest. Paiement is an active guest conductor, recently appearing with Washington National Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, and Lyric Opera of Kansas City.
Upcoming engagements includes debuts at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, and Houston Grand Opera, the world premiere of Jake Heggie’s If I Were You with San Francisco Opera's Merola Opera Program, and a return to Washington National Opera. For Opera Parallèle, Paiement will conduct the world premiere of Laura Kaminsky's Georgia O'Keeffe opera Today It Rains and Rachel Portman's The Little Prince.
In 2016, Paiement was awarded the American Composer’s Forum “Champion of New Music” Award, for her outstanding contribution to new music. She also holds the Jean and Josette Deleage Distinguished Chair in New Music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.