Grammy Award-Winning Classical Singer Julia Bullock Appointed as 2026 Festival Director of the Cincinnati May Festival
CINCINNATI, OH (May 27, 2025)—The Cincinnati May Festival has announced Grammy-winning classical singer and curator Julia Bullock as its 2026 Festival Director, bringing to the role a distinguished international career marked by acclaimed performances, innovative curatorial projects and recognized leadership in social advocacy within the arts. Bullock will serve in this one-year position, curating a series of concerts and activities that both honor the May Festival’s storied history and reflect her own artistic vision, alongside May Festival Director of Choruses Matthew Swanson.
"Julia Bullock is a preeminent artist in every way. She brings to this position worldwide experience and fervent local interest. Her enthusiasm for the May Festival, Cincinnati, and our vibrant arts community runs deep. I look forward to her directorship at the 2026 May Festival,” said Swanson.
An innovative curator in high demand from arts presenters, museums and schools, Bullock has held positions at esteemed institutions, including Featured Artist of London’s Philharmonia Orchestra, and Artist-in-Residence of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the San Francisco Symphony, where she was also appointed as collaborative partner of Esa-Pekka Salonen. Bullock recently gave an imaginatively curated recital at London arts nonprofit Bold Tendencies, where she delivered the American, British, Belgian and Russian premieres of Zauberland (“Magic Land”), a new work juxtaposing Schumann’s Dichterliebe with original songs by Bernard Foccroulle and Martin Crimp. In addition to her work, Bullock conceived Perle Noire: Meditations for Joséphine with director Peter Sellars. The program weaves texts written for the singer by Claudia Rankine with music recomposed for her by Tyshawn Sorey and choreography that Bullock developed with Michael Schumacher to reexamine the life and legacy of Joséphine Baker.
An acclaimed classical singer, Bullock has also headlined productions and concerts at preeminent art institutions around the world, including London’s Philharmonia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. Her solo album Walking in the Dark won the 2024 Grammy Award for “Best Classical Solo Vocal.” Bullock has performed on three Grammy-nominated recordings: Adams: Girls of the Golden West with the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by John Adams, Adams: Doctor Atomic with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Adams and Bernstein: West Side Story with San Francisco Symphony conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. Throughout her career, Bullock has showcased her talent in lead roles of John Adam’s El Niño and Antony and Cleopatra. In addition to her passion for the arts, she is a founding core member of The American Modern Opera Company (AMOC*), which connects a group of artists and creators to audiences in meaningful ways.
Bullock considers herself a voice for activism and believes in the power of community engagement in the arts. She sits on the Advisory Board of Turn the Spotlight, a foundation designed to empower women and people of color to make a more equitable future in the arts. Furthermore, Bullock is also responsible for launching three signature projects that have flourished nationally and beyond. This includes a multimedia ethnographic anthology called “History’s Persistent Voice,” which focuses on the influence of pre-emancipation voices across generations, emphasizing that era’s poetic musical traditions while centering the multifaceted identities of the Black American experience, realized through art.
No stranger to Cincinnati, Bullock performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra last season in El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered, a chamber orchestral recreation of John Adams’ El Niño arranged by Bullock and her husband and conductor, Christian Reif. The recreation amplifies the voices of women and Latin American poets. Bullock says her time in Cincinnati encouraged her to accept the opportunity as the May Festival’s third Festival Director.
“The development of the rich cultural scene in Cincinnati is documented well and is simply inspiring. And after some research, I was astounded by how that has become reflected in the May Festival these past 150 years. In the programming for 2026, I sought out ways to explicitly draw attention to the traditions of the festival — which is based in gathering people together to sing, and enjoy a wide variety of music and each other,” said Bullock.
“What has been so special as a curator for this upcoming season is the collaborative spirit and expertise of both the May Festival team and the Cincinnati Symphony. Never have I felt so enthusiastic and excited while devising programs in partnership with arts organizations,” Bullock continued. “What a lucky city to be filled with people who are so devoted to putting on a festival of this scale year after year! I honestly just feel lucky, as a singer, to take part in your arts and cultural experience.”
Julianne Akins Smith, Executive Director of the Cincinnati May Festival, says she’s looking forward to experiencing how Bullock will bring her choral expertise and artistry to the 2026 Cincinnati May Festival.
“I'm eager and excited for Julia Bullock to bring her tremendous artistry, fresh inspiration, and thoughtful curation to the 2026 May Festival,” said Akins Smith. “As the founding organization of Music Hall, the May Festival has a rich history and strong foundation within the Cincinnati community and the new artistic model allows for that history to come alive each year in both a familiar and completely new way. For first-time patrons and die-hard May Festival fans alike, Julia Bullock brings an engaging approach as Festival Director to create a musical journey that unites and inspires us all.”
TICKETS
Official programming details and the Festival Pass for the 2026 May Festival will be released in the fall. To receive first access to the latest information on next season’s May Festival, sign up here.
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