Kwamé Ryan begins as music director of the North Carolina’s Charlotte Symphony Orchestra in September.
In Thursday’s (2/8) WSOC TV (Charlotte, North Carolina), Deneige Broom reports, “Kwamé Ryan conducts music with vigor, conviction, and a bit of Caribbean flair. To him, music is more than the scores of notes. ‘I just find it so magical and transporting, almost intoxicating, that sort of audio magic that comes out of a symphony orchestra,’ Ryan said … He will be the next music director for the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra after a unanimous selection by the search committee. He’s conducted orchestras around the world, including in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and U.S. cities like Houston, St. Louis, and New York…. Ryan is the first Black man in charge of the Charlotte orchestra since its inception. ‘I was just never allowed to doubt that I could achieve my goals for whatever reason, and certainly not because of my race or my skin color,’ he said…. Ryan grew up in Trinidad and Tobago … He [said] that a lack of diversity in his field can be discouraging. According to a study by the League of American Orchestras, only two percent of all orchestra music directors are Black. But he believes that if there’s one thing that can create cultural harmony, it’s music.”
