Malaysian-born Tengku Irfan has appeared around the world as a conductor, pianist, and composer. He made his Carnegie Hall debut conducting The Juilliard Orchestra in April 2024. He appears as a guest conductor with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. As assistant and cover conductor, he has worked with orchestras such as New York Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of the United States, among others. Through his work as conductor, he is the recipient of the Robert Craft Igor Stravinsky Grant in Orchestral Conducting and the Bayreuth Stipendium Award. He earned his Masters of Music in Orchestral Conducting at The Juilliard School, studying with David Robertson. During his studies at Juilliard, he was a proud recipient of The Juilliard School Kovner Fellowship Award. Currently, he is the founder and music director of his own group, Ensemble Fantasque, promoting works from the 20th and 21st centuries, and underperformed pieces from earlier time periods.
Schedule
NEW CONDUCTORS ORCHESTRA (FEBRUARY 21 and 22 2026)
Tengku Irfan conducts premieres of works by Benedikt Brydern, Tomos Owen Jones, and David Vess
February 21 2026 8pm and February 22 2026 6pm
Good Shepherd-Faith Presbyterian Church
152 West 66th Street, New York, NY
ENSEMBLE FANTASQUE: BEYOND URBAN (MAY 1 2026)
Varèse - Octandre
Webern - Four Songs Op. 13
Amelia Brey - Hermes of the Ways
Wuorinen - New York Notes
Tengku Irfan, conductor
May 1 2026, 7:30pm, The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, New York
COVER CONDUCTOR: NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC (MAY 13 2026)
Memorial Day concert at St. John the Divine
Enluis Montes Olivar, conductor
Program TBA
COVER CONDUCTOR: NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC (MAY 16 2026)
Artist Spotlight: Samara Joy
Steven Reineke, conductor
Samara Joy, vocalist
Program TBA
RONDO FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA 2026 (JUNE 5, 7 & 10 2026)
Mahler - Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection”
RondoFest Festival Orchestra and Choir
Soloists TBA
Tengku Irfan, conductor
