Chief Conductor of the Gävle Symphony Orchestra in Sweden, Christian Reif has established a reputation for his natural musicality, innovative programming, and technical command.

Since 2022, Reif has served as Music Director of the Lakes Area Music Festival, a month-long summer festival in Minnesota featuring the nation’s top classical performers in programming that ranges from opera and chamber music to symphonic performances along with commissioned new works. LAMF believes that high quality arts experiences should be accessible to all and operates on a name-your-price ticket model.

Highlights of Reif’s 2025–26 Season include debut performances with the Nashville Symphony, The Florida Orchestra, Danish Chamber Orchestra, Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, and Australian Youth Orchestra. He returns to conduct the Houston Symphony; National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Canada; Netherlands Radio Philharmonic; Belgrade Philharmonic; and National Radio Orchestra of Romania.

In 2024, Reif won a Grammy Award for the Nonesuch Records album Walking in the Dark, the debut solo album of classical singer Julia Bullock in which he accompanied her on piano and led London’s Philharmonia Orchestra. The album was praised by Gramophone Magazine as “illuminating” and described Reif as providing “excellent support” for Bullock. In 2020 during the pandemic, Reif and Bullock recorded a series of at-home virtual “Songs of Comfort,” ranging from Carole King’s classic “Up on the Roof” to Schubert’s “Wanderers Nachtlied.” NPR Music featured the duo in a Tiny Desk Concert for their special quarantine edition of the series, and The New York Times highlighted them on their Best Classical Music of 2020 list.

From 2016 to 2019, Christian was Resident Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony and Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, after being the Conducting Fellow at the New World Symphony from 2014 to 2016 and at Tanglewood Music Center in 2015 and 2016.

Praised by The Washington Post for her “mesmerizing” and “stirring” performances, JIJI is an adventurous guitarist known for her virtuosity and command of diverse repertoire. She is equally at home with both acoustic and electric guitar, with concert programs ranging from traditional and contemporary classical to free improvisation.

JIJI’s 2026–27 Season begins with her New World Symphony debut, performing Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, conducted by Marcelo Lehninger. Other highlights include debuts with the Houston Symphony—performing Steve Mackey’s concerto for electric and classical guitar, Aluminum Flowers—and with the Milwaukee Symphony, both conducted by David Robertson. She will perform in recital in Santa Barbara on UCSB’s Arts and Lectures series, with the Boston Classical Guitar Society, and in duo recitals with violinist Danbi Um in Linton, OH, and Shelter Island, NY.

In recent seasons, JIJI has presented solo recitals at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall; Lincoln Center; 92nd Street Y; Caramoor; Celebrity Series of Boston; Caffe Lena; Tippet Rise Art Center; San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre; and the National Gallery of Art, among other venues.

JIJI has premiered solo and chamber works by a diverse range of musical artists, including David Lang, Steven Mackey, Natalie Dietterich, Nicky Sohn, Krists Auznieks, Michael Gilbertson, Hilary Purrington, Shelley Washington, Kate Moore, Chris Rountree, Gulli Björnsson, Molly Joyce, and Paul Lansky. In 2024, JIJI released UNBOUND, the culmination of a multiyear commissioning and recording project.

JIJI has gained a reputation as a sought-after concerto soloist. Recent appearances include

performances with the Seattle Symphony in a world premiere of ljósíd, a new audio-visual work

by Gulli Björnsson, as well as Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Utah Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Asheville Symphony, Lincoln Symphony, Augusta Symphony, Duluth Symphony Orchestra, San Antonio Philharmonic, Marquette Symphony, Westmoreland Symphony, Sinfonietta Riga, NewWest Symphony, New York Youth Symphony, American Composers Orchestra, Southwest Michigan Symphony, Kansas City Symphony and more.

A committed educator, JIJI is Associate Professor of Music in Guitar at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and former Assistant Professor of Guitar at Arizona State University’s School of Music, Dance and Theater.

She is sponsored by Augustine Strings and GuitarLift by Felix Justen.