Kwamé Ryan Takes the Podium as Charlotte Symphony’s Music Director Designate

In Thursday’s (4/4) Charlotte Observer (North Carolina), Amy Carleton writes, “This weekend, Kwamé Ryan leads the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra for the first time as its new music director designate, taking the podium for performances in a program that includes Brahms and Tchaikovsky. In December, the symphony named Ryan its next music director—the 12th maestro in its 92-year history, a role he formally starts in October. And Ryan’s arrival in Charlotte this week came just as the orchestra unveiled plans for an ambitious $50 million capital campaign to finally help solidify its financial future. That effort already has raised $41 million towards that goal, and expects to complete the campaign by the end of the year. Most of the money will go toward increasing the size of the orchestra’s endowment…. Ryan … had been on the CSO’s radar … on account of his international stature in the classical music world, said Mical Hutson, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra’s VP of Marketing and Audience Development. ‘His dedication to innovative programming and inclusivity very much aligns with the CSO’s mission …,’ Hutson added. Ryan is … the first person of color to hold the top job in the orchestra’s 92-year history…. The orchestra’s commitment to diversity was lauded in January in the League of American Orchestras’ Guide to Audience Diversification.”