Jonathon Heyward: A conversation with the BSO's new music director

We open this edition of Midday with music by Gustav Holst ("Mars," from his "Planets" Suite), in a performance by the Seattle Symphony under the direction of Jonathon Heyward. Mr. Heyward, to borrow a phrase, is young, gifted and Black. And next season, he will become the new Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. A 30 year-old from Charleston, South Carolina, he is the first person of African descent to lead the BSO, and only the second Black conductor to lead an American top-tier orchestra. Jonathan Heyward has guest-conducted orchestras in America and abroad, and he has served as the chief conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie in Germany. Here’s asample of some of his work with that ensemble, performing the music of Franz Joseph Haydn... Jonathon Heyward's historic tenure at the BSO begins with the orchestra's 2023-24 season this fall. He joins Tom today in Studio A… Jonathan Heyward and Tom Hall will continue their conversation Monday evening at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall here in Baltimore. They'll talk more about his plans for his inaugural season as the BSO’s Music Director, in an event that will include some performances by members of the orchestra. Doors open at 7:00, and the program begins at 7:30pm. Click the event link above for more information.Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.