Kwamé Ryan will assume the role as of the 2024/25 season on an initial four-year contract

Kwamé Ryan will join the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra as its 12th music director, succeeding Christopher Warren-Green, who completed a 12-year tenure. 

Before beginning his new role, Ryan will serve as CSO’s music director designate for the rest of the 2023/24 season, and will present two performances with the orchestra in April 2024.

Ryan made his CSO debut in January 2023, leading the ensemble in Copland’s Symphony No. 3, John Adams’s Short Ride in a Fast Machine, and Korngold’s Violin Concerto featuring VC Artist Bella Hristova. 

Born in Canada and raised on the Caribbean island of Trinidad, Ryan studied musicology at Cambridge University and trained in conducting with the renowned composer and conductor Peter Eötvös.

From 1999 to 2003, Ryan served as general music director of the Freiburg Opera, and as musical and artistic director of the National Orchestra of Bordeaux Aquitaine from 2007 to 2013. 

Ryan has led the Boston Lyric Opera, English National Opera, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Royal Scottish Symphony Orchestra, London’s Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Baltimore, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, Atlanta, and Houston Symphony Orchestras.

As a guest conductor, he has led the Stuttgart and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestras, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Berlin Konzerthausorchester, Saarbrüc ken Staatsoper, Stuttgart Staatsoper, plus worked with the BBC Proms, Brussels’s Theatre La Monnaie, Opera Bastille, Opéra National de Lyon, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. 

In the fall of 2023, Ryan conducted the world premiere of Jake Heggie’s Intelligence at the Houston Grand Opera. His other debuts included the New York Philharmonic.

Previously, he was musical director of the National Youth Orchestra of France and director of the Academy for the Performing Arts at the University of Trinidad and Tobago. 

Ryan was unanimously selected by the music director search committee, which comprised CSO musicians, staff, and board members. 

“Having witnessed his artistry and extraordinary musicianship in action with the Charlotte Symphony during his recent appearances, I am confident that Kwamé Ryan embodies all of the qualities essential for an exceptional Music Director,” said CSO’s president and CEO David Fisk in the press release. “As a dynamic leader who understands the full potential of the relationship between an orchestra and its community, Kwamé will undoubtedly deepen the Charlotte Symphony’s service to Charlotte and the region, and, with his passion for music education, bring extraordinary, powerful music-making to a wider audience of all ages.” 

“On my very first visit to Charlotte, I felt instantly connected with the dynamic energy of the city and then profoundly inspired by the wonderful musicians of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra,” Ryan said. “Their dedication to balancing artistic innovation and preservation as a means to engage with their community resonates naturally with my own creative philosophy, and I very much look forward to discovering how this exciting new partnership can enrich the orchestra’s legacy and the cultural fabric of Charlotte.” 

“From the outset, there was an incredible chemistry between Kwamé Ryan and the musicians which created an atmosphere of collaboration and inspiration,” said CSO musicians and search committee co-leaders Jeffrey Ferdon and Benjamin Geller. “Kwamé’s dynamic performances, as well as his ability to connect with audiences in a meaningful way, truly distinguished him. We are thrilled to welcome this exceptional conductor to Charlotte!”

“Kwamé’s incredible talent and passion promises an exciting future for our orchestra and greater community,” added CSO board chair Linda McFarland Farthing. “We extend our gratitude to the members of the Music Director Search Committee for their unwavering commitment and efforts in bringing us such a remarkable leader.” 

Founded in 1932, the CSO comprises 65 professional full-time orchestra musicians and fosters three youth orchestras. The orchestra connects with over 130,000 audience members annually through its concerts, broadcasts, community events, and educational programs.