Beatrice Jona Affron was born and raised in New York City. She joined Pennsylvania Ballet in 1993 as the Assistant Conductor and was promoted to Music Director and Conductor in 1997. A graduate of Yale University, Beatrice studied conducting with Robert Spano and at New England Conservatory. At Pennsylvania Ballet, Beatrice has conducted many Balanchine ballets, contemporary works, and full-length story ballets. In 2004, she conducted the world premiere of Christopher Wheeldon’s Swan Lake. Outside of dance, Beatrice is heard in a large and varied repertoire that encompasses works from Handel, to Donizetti, to Philip Glass. In 2002, she received international attention when she led the world premiere performances of Philip Glass and Mary Zimmerman’s Galileo Galilei in Chicago and London. In 2005, Beatrice made her debut with the Glimmerglass Opera conducting Donizetti’s Lucie de Lammermoor. Other guest conducting appearances include Opera Theatre St. Louis, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, Nashville Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet, Atlanta Ballet and Miami City Ballet. Since summer, 2016, she has been Principal Guest Conductor of Boston Ballet.