About Shira

American conductor Shira Samuels-Shragg is dedicated to creating vibrant, welcoming orchestral experiences for musicians and audiences alike. Shira was recently announced as a 2026/27 fellow conductor for the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Currently the assistant conductor for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Shira’s subscription debut was praised for bringing “shape, purpose, and fastidious detailing of dynamic contrasts and nuances” to the podium (Dallas Morning News). In 2025, Shira was awarded the prestigious Neeme Järvi Prize at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, an honor that comes with an invitation to conduct the Sinfonieorchester Basel.

More recent highlights include debuts with the Chattanooga Symphony and the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, as well as her subscription debut with the Spokane Symphony. Previously, Shira served as the assistant conductor for the Spokane and Plano symphonies. A musician deeply dedicated to diversity in the orchestral world, Shira was delighted to be one of four conductors selected for The Dallas Opera’s 2024 Hart Institute for Women Conductors, and to be chosen as a mentee with the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship. Shira is passionate about sharing the wonders of music with young audiences and has led education concerts, sensory-friendly events, and family-oriented programs for over 90,000 students and their families. Additionally, she is the co-founder and former music director of the Plano Symphony’s Summer Youth Orchestra Camp, and served as the assistant conductor for National Youth Orchestra USA 2022, where she returned as associate conductor in 2024.

Other engagements include guest conducting concerts with the Corpus Christi, Irving, and South Bend symphonies, and serving as cover conductor for the St. Louis Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and New York Philharmonic. In May of 2022, Shira graduated with her Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from The Juilliard School, where she studied with Maestro David Robertson. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a minor in German from Swarthmore College, where she studied conducting with Andrew Hauze and piano with Marcantonio Barone.