Carolyn Kuan.
In Thursday’s (5/8) Hartford Courant (Connecticut), Christopher Arnott writes, “Carolyn Kuan, the highly acclaimed music director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, will leave her leadership role in the spring of 2027 at the completion of her 16th season. The symphony said a search for her successor will begin ‘in the coming months,’ and that Kuan will be around during the search process and transition period. Kuan initially had a three-year contract to lead the Hartford Symphony Orchestra when she was selected as its 10th music director in 2011. That contract has been renewed numerous times, mostly recently in 2023 for a three-year extension that kept her in the position until spring of 2027. Kuan is the first woman, and the youngest person, to be the music director for Hartford Symphony Orchestra. Among her achievements is the championing of works by underappreciated Black and female composers, conducting world premieres by a range of contemporary composers and crafting clever programs that put modern alongside classics in a way that provide context and illumination. Outside of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Kuan has conducted the world premieres of operas based on the play ‘M. Butterfly’ and the historic Stonewall Riots…. The symphony’s 2025-26 has already announced and will begin in September.”
