General Management
Júlia Cruz has rapidly established herself as one of the leading Spanish conductors of her generation. Her work spans the symphonic repertoire, opera, and contemporary music, where she continues to establish an international presence.
She was awarded Second Prize at the Blue Danube/Béla Bartók Opera Conducting Competition in 2021 and was named a Taki Alsop Conducting Fellow in 2022. In 2025, she was selected as a Conducting Fellow at the Lucerne Festival and is currently Guest Conductor of the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra until 2027.
Recently she debuted with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain as Associate Conductor to Thomas Adès on the orchestra's tour, culminating at the BBC Proms. Highlights of the 2026/27 season also include debut appearances with the Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, the Real Filharmonía de Galicia and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, as well as returns with the Orquesta Nacional de España and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife. Her commitment to contemporary music is further reflected in an upcoming project with the Joven Orquesta Nacional de España and members of the Klangforum Wien. On stage, she will lead a new production of The Nutcracker with the Compañía Nacional de Danza de México, and the Proyecto Zarza at Teatro de la Zarzuela.
Cruz also conducted the the Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa, the Orquesta de Extremadura, the Oviedo Filarmonía, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra, the Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias, the Orquesta Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México and the Compañía Nacional de Ópera de México, leading the world premiere of Ciudad Delirio and the 2023 production of The Nutcracker at the National Auditorium. She also served as assistant conductor at the Teatro Real for the world premiere of Tejas Verdes and a new production of La Vida Breve as well as at Opera Colombia with L’Elisir d’Amore. At the Kolozsvári Magyar Opera she conducted La Traviata and L’Elisir d’Amore at the Stara Zagora State Opera.
A passionate advocate for contemporary music, she maintains close collaborations with a wide range of living composers.
Born in 1996, Júlia Cruz began playing trombone at the age of six before discovering her passion for conducting. She studied at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Aragón, graduating cum laude, and later earned a Master’s degree with distinction in Orchestral Conducting at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences under Arjan Tien. She also studied under Federico Santi, and has participated in masterclasses with Johannes Schlaefli, Marin Alsop, Daniel Oren, Colin Metters, among others.
