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Malaysian-born Tengku Irfan has appeared around the world as a conductor, pianist, and composer. Currently, he is starting his position as the Douglas F. King Assistant Conductor of the Seattle Symphony.

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. He is also 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.

Photo credit: Rachel Papo

Schedule

Benaroya Hall Open House (October 18 2026)

Celebrate the newly renovated Benaroya Hall with a free concert featuring the Seattle Symphony and The Head and The Heart.

Carlos Simon - Motherboxx Connection
Falla - Suite No. 1 from El sombrero de tres picos (“The Three-Cornered Hat”)
Rossini - Galop from William Tell Overture
The Head and The Heart - arrangements for orchestra and band by Andrew Joslyn

Tengku Irfan, conductor
Seattle Symphony

Halloween Spooktacular! (October 31 2026)

Bach - Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
John Williams - Hedwig’s Theme
Saint-Saëns - Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor Op. 22
Stephen Schwartz - Highlights from “Wicked”
Saint-Saëns - Danse Macabre
Mussorgsky - Night on Bald Mountain

Tengku Irfan, conductor
Avery Pun, piano
Seattle Symphony