The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra extended the contract of Music Director Jonathon Heyward through the 2030-31 season, the organization announced Wednesday.
Heyward, 33, is the youngest and first Black music director in the orchestra’s 108-year history. He arrived for the 2023-24 season and has been credited with energizing audiences, elevating artistic excellence and deepening the orchestra’s connection to the community.
Since the 2022-23 season, nearly 30,000 patrons have attended a classical concert for the first time, and overall ticketed attendance has risen 58%. The BSO is on track to surpass pre-pandemic audience levels in its current season. Concert halls now draw a visibly broader and more diverse audience, reflecting Heyward’s commitment to programming that welcomes all Marylanders.
“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.”
Heyward’s impact extends beyond concert halls. In 2024, he led a Symphony in the City performance at Fort McHenry that drew thousands in the aftermath of the Key Bridge collapse. He has built new relationships with area musicians and artists and overseen expansion of the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras from three to four ensembles and partnerships with regional schools and universities, including the University of Maryland’s Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and School of Music.
This fall, Heyward will make his debut leading the orchestra’s Midweek Education and Family concerts Oct. 30 and Nov. 1, making him the first BSO music director in a decade to lead those programs.
Heyward has been recognized by Time magazine’s Next Generation Leaders list and Bloomberg’s “Ones to Watch.”
“I am deeply honored to continue my journey with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra,” Heyward said. “This orchestra is not only world-class on stage but is a true reflection of the people we proudly serve.”