Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra ranks among America’s leading ensembles and is based in Baltimore, Maryland. Its extensive catalog spans every historical period and incorporates fresh compositions as well as newly commissioned pieces. Founded in 1916 under municipal auspices, the group was led by Gustav Strube through 1930. An earlier ensemble bearing the identical name had operated from 1890 to 1899 with Ross Jungnickel at its helm. In 1942 Reginald Stewart took the podium, converting the orchestra into a privately governed institution. While also heading the Peabody Conservatory, he drew top players by pairing BSO posts with teaching appointments at the conservatory—a framework patterned on Mendelssohn’s integration of the Leipzig Conservatory and the Gewandhaus Orchestra and one that continues today. Stewart enlarged the roster to ninety musicians and broadened both the concert calendar and the range of works presented. Budgetary pressures prompted his departure in 1952; Massimo Freccia succeeded him. Freccia drew larger crowds through inventive, large-scale programming that featured concert performances of operas. Joseph Meyerhoff, president of the Symphony Orchestra Organization, named Sergiu Comissiona music director in 1968, initiating another major chapter. Under Comissiona the BSO embarked on its first overseas tours and issued multiple recordings, elevating the ensemble to the front rank of American orchestras. Meyerhoff also underwrote construction of the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, which opened in 1982. David Zinman became music director in 1985; during his tenure the orchestra earned several Grammy Awards for its recordings and toured extensively until Zinman stepped down in 1998. Yuri Temirkanov then led the group until 2006, after which Marin Alsop assumed the post in 2007. Alsop was the first woman appointed music director of a major U.S. orchestra. Around the same period the Music Center at Strathmore opened, supplying the ensemble with a second performance space. Throughout Alsop’s leadership the BSO maintained an active touring schedule and released numerous recordings that garnered Grammy and Emmy nominations. James Conlon served as conductor from 2021 to 2022, while Jonathon Heyward joined as guest conductor in 2022 and signed a contract to serve as music director from 2023 to 2028. In the 2021–2022 season the orchestra presented more than 130 concerts and sustained a variety of community-outreach initiatives.