Rising star French conductor Samy Rachid to step in for Stephanie Childress with National Symphony Orchestra Ireland on Friday 19 June at the National Concert Hall

Media Release

Date of issue: Tuesday 16 June 2026

National Symphony Orchestra Ireland regrets to announce that Stephanie Childress is indisposed and unable to conduct this Friday’s Season Finale at the National Concert Hall.

We are pleased to advise that rising star French conductor Samy Rachid will step in at short notice to conduct the programme as advertised: the Irish premiere of Pretty by Julia Wolfe, described by Wolfe as ‘a raucous celebration – embracing the grit of fiddling, the relentlessness of work rhythms, and inspired by the distortion and reverberation of rock and roll; John Adams’ Harmonium, a resounding choral symphony inspired by the poetry of John Donne and Emily Dickinson and featuring National Symphony Chorus Ireland; and Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto, one of the most popular piano concertos in the repertoire, with Nicolas Namoradze as soloist.

This season, marks Samy Rachid’s third year as Assistant Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Music Director Andris Nelsons. Following his acclaimed 2025 Tanglewood debut with Midori, he has continued to collaborate extensively with the orchestra. Highlights include stepping in at short notice for Andris Nelsons with soloist Renée Fleming as soloist at Symphony Hall, performing with Yo-Yo Ma at Tanglewood in 2026, and conducting further subscription concerts with Pablo Ferrandez at Symphony Hall in November 2025, underscoring his significant artistic presence alongside his role as Assistant Conductor.

This season sees several important debuts and returns, including first appearances as Guest Conductor with Rotterdam Philharmonic, Brussels Philharmonic, Hamburger Symphoniker, Orchestre National de Lille, and the Gulbenkian Orchestra with pianist Lise de la Salle, with whom he will tour, returning to Philharmonie Zuid Nederland. He also returns to Auckland Philharmonia and to the Opéra National du Rhin, conducting a full production of Lalo’s Le Roi d’Ys, and makes his debut in China with the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra.

For full biography and concert listings, see NOTES TO EDITORS

Media Queries

Assumpta Lawless, Marketing & Communications Manager, National Symphony Orchestra Ireland | 087 290 4168 | assumpta.lawless@nch.ie

NOTES TO EDITORS

Biography:

Samy Rachid conductor

The 2025/2026 season marks French conductor Samy Rachid’s third year as Assistant Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Music Director Andris Nelsons. Following his acclaimed 2025 Tanglewood debut with Midori, he has continued to collaborate extensively with the orchestra. Highlights include stepping in at short notice for Andris Nelsons with soloist Renée Fleming as soloist at Symphony Hall, performing with Yo-Yo Ma at Tanglewood in 2026, and conducting further subscription concerts with Pablo Ferrández, underscoring his significant artistic presence.

This season sees several important debuts and returns. Rachid makes his first appearances as Guest Conductor with orchestras such as Rotterdam Philharmonic, Brussels Philharmonic, Hamburger Symphoniker, Orchestre National de Lille, and the Gulbenkian Orchestra with pianist Lise de la Salle as soloist, with whom he’ll be collaborating on a subsequent tour returning to Philharmonie Zuidnederland. He also returns to Auckland Philharmonia and to the Opéra National du Rhin, conducting a full production of Lalo’s Le Roi d’Ys. The season’s highlights also include his debut in China with the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra.

He has worked with NHK Symphony Orchestra, Gstaad Festival Orchestra, Verbier Festival and Chamber orchestras, Prague Philharmonia, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic, Sinfonieorchester Biel Solothurn, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Orchestre national de Mulhouse, and Hungarian National Symphony Orchestra Szeged.

Working as Assistant Conductor of Opéra National du Rhin in Strasbourg in 2022, he was also a Conducting Fellow of Verbier Festival that year, returning in 2023. He worked there with renowned conductors such as Zubin Metha, Gianandrea Noseda and Klaus Mäkelä. In2022, he took part in the Gstaad Conducting Academy, where he worked closely with Jaap von Zweden and became the first French conductor to be awarded the Academy’s Neeme Järvi Prize.

Formerly the cellist of Quatuor Arod, he left the ensemble in 2021 to focus on conducting, winning Second Prize at the Tokyo International Music Competition. The same year he worked with France’s Orchestre Elektra and was subsequently asked to become their Music Director for the 2022/2023 season.

As a cellist, he learned with great masters such as Quatuor Ébène and Artemis Quartet. In 2015, he won First Prize and two special prizes at the Carl Nielsen String Quartet Competition, and in 2016, First Prize and two special prizes at Munich’s ARD Competition. He has recorded several albums for Warner Classics.

He studied with Mathieu Herzog, assisting him with Orchestre Appassionato with prestigious singers such as Roberto Alagna, Ludovic Tézier and Nadine Sierra.

Concert Listings

National Symphony Orchestra Ireland

Season Finale: Julia Wolfe, Rachmaninov & John Adams

Friday 19 June 2026, 7.30pm

National Symphony Orchestra Ireland

Samy Rachid, conductor (replacing Stephanie Childress)

Nicolas Namoradze, piano

National Symphony Chorus Ireland

David Young chorus director

Julia Wolfe Pretty Irish Premiere

Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2

John Adams Harmonium

Tickets: €15, €25, €29, €34.50, €39

About the National Concert Hall

The National Concert Hall is Ireland’s national cultural institution for music, proudly serving audiences since opening in 1981 through an extensive programme of live performances, education and cultural initiatives. Located in the heart of Dublin city centre beside the Iveagh Gardens, the NCH is home to National Symphony Orchestra Ireland, National Symphony Chorus Ireland, the NCH Cór Linn youth choir (for ages 14–19), and Ireland’s leading children’s choir, Cór na nÓg. The NCH also provides a home for a range of resident music organisations, including Chamber Choir Ireland, Irish Baroque Orchestra, Music Network, Crash Ensemble, and Music Generation.

The National Concert Hall is currently planning a major redevelopment of its facilities as part of Project Ireland 2040 and the National Development Plan. The NCH Discover Centre marks the first phase of this once-in-a-generation transformation, reimagining the National Concert Hall as a vibrant, accessible cultural campus and a true home for music in Ireland. The expanded campus will feature new and enhanced performance spaces, learning and participation facilities, and welcoming civic spaces, engaging more than 500,000 visitors annually. At its heart, this redevelopment will deepen the NCH’s national impact, ensuring music is experienced, explored and shared by generations to come.

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