BIOGRAPHY
An enthusiastic collaborator, Schendel has performed alongside celebrated soloists, including Anthony Ross (principal cello, Minnesota Orchestra), Cassie Pilgrim (principal oboe, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra), and Gao Hong (pipa). She is also in demand as a guest conductor and served as assistant conductor for Gregory Spears's acclaimed opera Fellow Travelers and Britten's A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Schendel has recently assisted in performances with the Minnesota Orchestra, including Brahms’ Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem, the Nordic Soundscapes Festival, Puccini’s Turandot, and the Composer’s Institute, led by composer, Kevin Puts. As cover conductor, she has worked with numerous soloists including Augustin Hadelich, James Ehnes, Vadym Kholodenko, Stefan Jackiw, Alexander Gravryluk, Johan Dalene, Stuart Skelton, Christine Goerke, J’Nai Bridges, and Steven Banks.
Schendel has participated in prestigious festivals including the Järvi Academy/Pärnu Music Festival, led by Paavo Järvi, Neeme Järvi, and Leonid Grin, the LEAD Foundation/Fiskars Summer Music Festival, led by Esa-Pekka Salonen, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, and Eva Ollikainen, and the Cabrillo Festival for Contemporary Music, led by Cristian Măcelaru.
Recent highlights have included performances of Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem, and a range of guest conducting engagements. She was re-invited to assist the Minnesota Orchestra this season and is developing an exciting collaboration with violist Nathaniel Sendi, featuring Jörg Widmann’s Viola Concerto.
A passionate advocate for contemporary and underrepresented composers, Schendel’s repertoire includes works by Gabriela Lena Frank, Nkeiru Okoye, Elfrida Andrée, Lili Boulanger, Gao Hong, Cécile Chaminade, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Jennifer Higdon, and Chen Yi.
Schendel is committed to building bridges with diverse audiences and engaging with local communities. She is frequently invited as guest artist and clinician with schools and youth organizations, including Butler University, YourClassical Minnesota Public Radio, the 2025 Northwest Suburban All-Conference Festival, and the 2024 Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Festival. Schendel has appeared on podcasts and radio interviews and has led repertoire discussions for the Lakes Area Music Festival.
Hannah Schendel studied at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with Mark Gibson and Joe Miller; her mentors include Johannes Schlaefli, Marin Alsop, Larry Rachleff, Kathy Romey, and Jonathan Martin.
Hannah Schendel, a leading conductor of her generation, is dedicated to performing and programming music that explores the human experience. Schendel is the Assistant Conductor of the Indianapolis Symphony where she assists Music Director, Jun Märkl, and all guest conductors, leads pre-concert discussions, and conducts a variety of programs including The Nutcracker with the Indianapolis Ballet, Sphinx, ABBA Arrival from Sweden, and Discovery Concerts. Additionally, she serves as a cover conductor with the Minnesota Orchestra where she has worked alongside distinguished conductors including Music Director Thomas Søndergård, Osmo Vänskä, Ruth Reinhardt, and Teddy Abrams. Schendel has previously served as Music Director of the Wayzata Symphony Orchestra and Visiting Conductor of the Carleton Orchestra.
Schendel was named the 2025 David Effron Conducting Fellow at the Chautauqua Institution, leading performances of Barber, Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky and assisting Maestros Timothy Muffitt, Rossen Milanov, and Steven Osgood. Last spring, she was chosen as one of three finalists for the prestigious Mills Williams Junior Fellowship Competition at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. A semifinalist in the 2023 Sergei Koussevitzky International Conducting Competition, she has garnered honors from The American Prize and is a former Conducting Fellow with the Allentown Symphony.