About this Artist

With her distinctive voice as maestra, speaker, and poet, critics praise Panamanian-American conductor Kalena Bovell as “one of the brightest stars in classical music” (Channel 3 News, Connecticut). In 2023, she made history as the first Black woman to conduct an opera in Canada; in 2024, she earned the Sphinx Medal of Excellence—the highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization.

Bovell’s 2024–2025 season reflects her increasing global demand, making debuts with Opera Philadelphia, the Johannesburg Philharmonic, KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre classique de Montréal, Billings Symphony, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and the Sarasota Orchestra. She also makes celebrated returns to the Louisville Orchestra and the Victoria Symphony in Canada.

In a few short years, Bovell has blazed a formidable trail as a leading amplifier and catalyst of Black artistic excellence. After leading Chineke! Orchestra onstage at the BBC Proms, Bovell earned critical praise as a featured conductor on Chineke!’s 2022 album Coleridge-Taylor, a celebration of the eponymous African-British composer. In addition, Bovell has twice worked with the Kennedy Center as conductor in their landmark artistic initiative Reframing the Narrative, which celebrates the artistry, leadership, and impact of Black ballet dancers.

Off the podium, Bovell strives to inspire potential artists from overlooked backgrounds, hoping to help those like herself who entered music later in life than their peers. In hopes of motivating others like her, she has shared her story with the BBC, the League of American Orchestras, and similar news outlets, organizations, and universities.