Spain & Latin America
Joana Carneiro is internationally recognised for her dynamic artistry and distinctive commitment to contemporary music in both the symphonic and operatic repertoire. Acclaimed for her versatility, dramatic insight, and collaborative approach, she has established herself as one of Portugal’s leading conductors on the international stage.
A native of Lisbon with a strong artistic presence across the Iberian Peninsula, Joana continues her longstanding collaboration with the Gulbenkian Orchestra during the 2026/27 season. Following last season’s acclaimed performances of Osvaldo Golijov’s La Pasión según San Marcos, she leads performances of John Adams’ opera-oratorio El Niño. She also returns to Porto’s Casa da Música after a highly successful collaboration last season. In Spain, she reunites with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León for two projects: a symphonic programme at Madrid’s Otoño Festival and a performance of Handel’s Messiah in Valladolid. In the United States, she makes her debut with the Utah Symphony and returns to the Pacific Symphony.
Highlights of Joana’s 2025/26 symphonic season included debuts with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Basque National Orchestra, alongside return engagements with the Brussels Philharmonic, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Musikkollegium Winterthur and Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra.
Most recently, Joana concluded a four-year tenure as Principal Guest Conductor of the Real Filharmonía de Galicia. She previously served as Principal Conductor of the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa at Lisbon’s Teatro Nacional de São Carlos from 2014 to 2022 and as Artistic Director of the Gulbenkian Youth Orchestra from 2013 to 2024.
Over the years, Joana has established a strong connection with many prominent orchestras across Europe, including BBC Symphony, BBC Scottish, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Philharmonia in London, the Royal Scottish National, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, Vienna Radio Symphony, Orchestre National de Bordeaux-Aquitaine, Castilla y Leon Symphony Orchestra and La Venice among many others. In the US in the past seasons Joana has collaborated with Los Angeles Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony and Naples Philharmonic in the United States. Further afield Joana has collaborated with Hong Kong Philharmonic, Beijing Orchestra in China and Sao Paulo State Symphony in Brazil.
A native of Lisbon, she began her musical studies as a violist before receiving her conducting degree from the Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra in Lisbon, where she studied with Jean-Marc Burfin. In the United States she received her master’s degree in orchestral conducting from Northwestern University as a student of Victor Yampolsky and Mallory Thompson, and pursued doctoral studies at the University of Michigan, where she studied with Kenneth Kiesler.
Joana was a finalist of the prestigious 2002 Maazel-Vilar Conductor’s Competition at Carnegie Hall, then in 2003-04, she worked with Maestros Kurt Masur and Christoph von Dohnanyi and conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra, as one of the three conductors chosen for London’s Allianz Cultural Foundation International Conductors Academy. From 2002 to 2005, Joana served as Assistant Conductor of the L.A. Chamber Orchestra and as Music Director of the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra of Los Angeles then from 2005 through 2008, she was an American Symphony Orchestra League Conducting Fellow at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where she worked closely with Esa-Pekka Salonen and led several performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl.
Joana is the 2010 recipient of the Helen M. Thompson Award, conferred by the League of American Orchestras to recognize and honour music directors of exceptional promise. In 2004, Joana was decorated by the President of the Portuguese Republic, Mr. Jorge Sampaio, with the Commendation of the Order of the Infante Dom Henrique. In spring 2024, Joana became a member of the council of state of Republic of Portugal.
