The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra announced a three-year contract extension for Jonathon Heyward, BSO Music Director and Harvey M. and Lyn P. Meyerhoff Chair. The new contract ensures his artistic leadership of the BSO will last through the 2030-31 season.
Heyward’s appointment in 2022 was historic, making him the youngest and first Black music director in the BSO’s 108-year history. His official arrival in 2023 was celebrated with a three-day state-wide celebration featuring the Dance Theatre of Harlem, a free community performance at Artscape, and a gala with Gov. Wes Moore and First Lady Dawn Flythe Moore serving as Honorary Gala Chairs. The BSO also held a scavenger hunt-style game of “Find the Golden Converse” in honor of his “Converse Conductor” moniker and trademark footwear.
Since the 2022-23 season, nearly 30,000 patrons have experienced a classical concert for the first time, and overall BSO attendance has risen 58%. This puts the BSO in a position to surpass pre-pandemic audience levels in the 2025-26 season. The audience is broader and more diverse, reflecting Heyward’s commitment to programming that welcomes all Marylanders to the BSO experience.
“Jonathon Heyward has inspired an extraordinary resurgence at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and we are thrilled to extend our partnership with him through 2031,” said Mark C. Hanson, BSO president and CEO, in a statement. “Jonathon truly believes in our mission as a Symphony for All, and his programming approach is expanding and exciting our audiences, while centering and celebrating the talents of our musicians. This contract extension ensures our momentum will continue for years to come.”
Heyward’s impact is felt outside the concert halls, as well. In 2024, he led a Symphony in the City performance at Fort McHenry for thousands who gathered under the stars to experience community and reflection after the Key Bridge collapse. His education and family programming builds bridges between the orchestra, artists, and student musicians across Maryland. He has expanded the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras from three to four ensembles and will make his Midweek Education and Family Concert debuts on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1. Heyward is the first BSO Music Director in a decade to lead those programs.
“I am deeply honored to continue my journey with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra,” Heyward said in a statement. “This orchestra is not only world-class on stage but is a true reflection of the people we proudly serve. I’m fortunate to witness over the past seasons, the shared vision of growth and connection across our entire organization, from our musicians and staff to our partners and audiences. I’m thrilled to continue building together and I am excited for what lies ahead.”
Dedicated to championing diversity, Heyward elevates women and AAPI artists, introduces musicians and audiences to cross-genre collaborations, and welcomes new artistic talents as performers and conductors. Under Heyward’s direction, the BSO welcomed Assistant Conductor Jiannan Cheng and the Orchestra’s first Conducting Fellow, Tatiana Pérez-Hernández, a mentorship initiative he helped establish.
Heyward’s energy and devotion to education, diversity, and fostering a love of music in Baltimore and Maryland is reflected in a noticeable increase in generosity towards the BSO. Some of the most significant gifts in BSO history have been made since his arrival, including a financial commitment from the conductor himself. Reflecting his belief in the organization’s mission and long-term financial well-being, Heyward will donate $125,000 over six years, a portion of his annual conducting fee beginning in the 2026-27 season. This gift will support programs that nurture emerging talent and educational initiatives that expand access to orchestral music while serving as an example for the next generation of philanthropists.
When Heyward was first appointed, he spoke to Baltimore Fishbowl about his beginnings as a musician and the importance of young children having access to music programs and instruments. He began playing cello when he was 10 years old, and conducting soon after that, and felt it was important to get stringed instruments into a child’s hands in elementary school, if possible. He talked about the importance of convincing school leadership, principals and school boards, of why music programs are essential to developing a child’s full potential educationally.
“I have the great luxury of continuing this fantastic program, the BSO OrchKids program, which my predecessor Marin Alsop founded,” Heyward told Baltimore Fishbowl in October 2023. “[W]e dedicate a part of our vision to that growth of that program, but also our various other programs that we have in our education department, that has seen thousands of school students a year in every season that we that we have.”
To see Jonathon Heyward in the BSO’s 2025-26 season, visit his page on the BSO website.
