The Boston 2026 Conference, Bold Voices, Boundless Futures, will be January 7-10, 2026 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza. This year's event will be heralded by Keynote Speaker Nina Yoshida Nelsen.

Nina Yoshida Nelsen (she/her) is Artistic Director of Boston Lyric Opera, where she first appeared as a singer in 2021 as Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana. That same year, she was featured as a singer and storyteller in BLO’s filmed documentary-concert B., the artistic culmination of the company’s “Butterfly Process.” She later joined BLO as Artistic Advisor, contributing to auditions, artistic planning, and programming, and in 2023 she served as dramaturg for the company’s acclaimed production of Madama Butterfly.

An accomplished mezzo-soprano, Nelsen has performed traditional and contemporary roles across North America and Europe, with companies including Washington National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, and Seattle Opera. She is especially recognized for her many portrayals of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, and for her commitment to new works, having sung in seven world premieres and their subsequent productions. Equally at home on the concert stage, she has appeared in such renowned venues as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and London’s Royal Albert Hall. She continues to perform actively throughout the United States and Canada.

Beyond her work onstage, Nelsen is Co-Founder of the Asian Opera Alliance, dedicated to uplifting Asian artists and advocating for greater representation in the industry. Her advocacy and artistry have been recognized by features in TIME Magazine and NHK World, which profiled her in a documentary centered on her creation of the role of Hiroko Kobayashi in Seattle Opera’s An American Dream.

A graduate of Boston University with degrees in Violin and Psychology and a Master’s in Voice, Nelsen also holds an Artist Diploma from Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts.

Visit our conference page to learn more about Boston 2026 and register for the conference.