Biography Johann-Sebastian Guzman
Colombian-American conductor Johann-Sebastian Guzman is quickly gaining recognition for his musical insight, clarity of gesture, and imaginative collaborations across art forms. He was recently appointed Resident Conductor at the Vienna Volksoper for the 2026–27 season. He is also Assistant Conductor to Daniel Harding at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, where he has accompanied the orchestra on tours throughout Europe and Asia and contributed to its 2025 recording of Tosca for Deutsche Grammophon.
Guzman has worked closely with distinguished conductors including Daniel Harding, Gustavo Dudamel, Karina Canellakis, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, and Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla. He has collaborated with leading ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, the Orchestre de Paris, and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.
His symphonic engagements have included guest conducting appearances with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Opera i Filharmonia Podlaska in Białystok, Webern Symphony Orchestra in Vienna, YMCG Festival Orchestra in Guangzhou, Szolnok Symphony Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia. Equally at home in opera, Guzman’s recent highlights include La traviata at the Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo in Bogotá and Don Giovanni with the TU Orchestra in Vienna, where he served as Music Director from 2023 to 2025.
In the 2025–26 season, Guzman made debut appearances with Sinfonia Varsovia alongside pianist Yunchan Lim, the Bodensee Philharmonie in Konstanz, and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. He also joined the New York Philharmonic as a cover conductor, assisting Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla and Gustavo Dudamel, and will work with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the same capacity during the 2026–27 season.
Notable conducting awards include semi-finalist of the German Conducting Award in Cologne (2025), Third Prize at the International Opera Conducting Competition of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie–Liège (2025) and Second Prize at the First National Conducting Competition with the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia (2023).
Born in Miami, Guzman trained as a pianist at the University of Miami with Professor Tian Ying and completed his Diploma in Conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna in 2024 under the mentorship of Andrés Orozco-Estrada.