Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Extends Jonathon Heyward as Music Director Through 2031

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 15, 2025

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Extends Jonathon Heyward as Music Director Through 2031

Three-year extension follows historic milestones and record growth at the BSO since Heyward’s arrival in 2023

Link to additional press images. Courtesy of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

BALTIMORE, MD — Today, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) announced a three-year contract extension for Jonathon Heyward, BSO Music Director and Harvey M. and Lyn P. Meyerhoff Chair, ensuring his artistic leadership through the 2030-31 Season. The renewal builds upon a transformative relationship that has redefined the BSO’s role as both an artistic and community leader throughout Maryland and beyond.

Heyward’s historic 2022 appointment made him the youngest and first Black music director in the Orchestra’s 108-year history. Since his official arrival in the 2023-24 Season, marked by a three-day, state-wide celebration featuring the Dance Theatre of Harlem, he has energized audiences, elevated the BSO’s artistic excellence, and deepened its connection to the community. Since the 2022-23 season, nearly 30,000 patrons have experienced a classical concert for the first time, and overall ticketed attendance has risen 58%, positioning the BSO to surpass pre-pandemic audience levels in its current 2025-26 season. A visibly broader and more diverse audience now fills the concert halls, reflecting Heyward’s commitment to programming that welcomes all Marylanders to enjoy 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. “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 extends far beyond the concert halls. In 2024, he led a powerful Symphony in the City performance at Fort McHenry, drawing in thousands for a night of community and collective reflection through music following the Key Bridge collapse. He has also centered education and family programming by building new bridges between the Orchestra, guest artists, and student musicians across the region. Highlights include former Composer in Residence James Lee III’s year-long composer mentorship, an expansion of the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras from three to four ensembles, and enhanced partnerships with regional schools and universities including a performance and residency collaboration with the University of Maryland’s Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and School of Music. This fall, Heyward will make his Midweek Education and Family Concert debuts (October 30 & November 1) making him the first BSO Music Director in a decade to lead those programs.

Nationally recognized among TIME Magazine’s Next Generation Leaders and Bloomberg’s “Ones to Watch,” Heyward continues to bring a bold, inclusive perspective to orchestral leadership, championing living composers, elevating women and AAPI artists, and introducing cross-genre collaborations that connect with Maryland’s diverse audiences.

“I am deeply honored to continue my journey with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra,” said Jonathon Heyward. “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.”

During his tenure, the BSO also welcomed new musicians and artistic talent, including Assistant Conductor Jiannan Cheng and the Orchestra’s first Conducting Fellow, Tatiana Pérez-Hernández, a mentorship initiative established under Heyward’s leadership. His commitment to developing emerging artists and cultivating diversity across the podium and the Orchestra continues to define his legacy.

Heyward’s leadership has also inspired unprecedented generosity across the organization, including some of the most significant gifts in the BSO’s history. Reflecting his own belief in the organization’s mission and long-term financial health, Heyward will donate $125,000 over six years, a portion of his annual conducting fee beginning in the 2026-27 Season. His contribution will support programs that nurture emerging talent and educational initiatives that expand access to orchestral music, as well as inspire the next generation of philanthropists.

“Jonathon Heyward is exactly the right leader, on and off the podium, for the BSO at this exciting time in our history,” said BSO Board Chair Barry Rosen. “By making a strategic gift as part of his contract, Jonathon continues a wonderful tradition of BSO Music Directors giving back to the community that they serve.”

To experience Jonathon Heyward in the BSO’s newly launched 2025–26 Season, visit, bsomusic.org/bio/Jonathon-Heyward.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall | 1212 Cathedral Street | Baltimore, MD 21201
The Music Center at Strathmore | 5301 Tuckerman Lane | North Bethesda, MD 20852

About the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
For over a century, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has been recognized as one of America’s leading orchestras and one of Maryland’s most significant cultural institutions. The orchestra is internationally renowned and locally admired for its innovation, performances, recordings, and educational outreach initiatives, including OrchKids.

The BSO performs annually for more than 275,000 people throughout the State of Maryland. Since 1982, the BSO has performed at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, and since 2005, with the opening of The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD, the BSO became the nation’s first orchestra performing its full season of classical and pops concerts in two metropolitan areas.

In July 2022, the BSO made history with the announcement that Jonathon Heyward would succeed Music Director Laureate and OrchKids Founder Marin Alsop as the Orchestra’s next Music Director. Maestro Heyward began his inaugural season in September 2023.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is a proud member of the League of American Orchestras.

More information about the BSO can be found at BSOmusic.org.

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