James Conlon is an American conductor. He made his debut with the New York Philharmonic in 1974 and has conducted virtually every major American and European symphony orchestra. Throughout his career, Conlon has held the positions of Music Director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (1983-1991), General Music Director of the City of Cologne Germany (1989-2003), Principal Conductor of the Paris Opera (1995-2004), Music Director of the Los Angeles Opera (2006), and Principal Conductor of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra (2016).