For the last few years, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra’s followers have wondered who would replace longtime music director Timothy Muffitt after his 2022 retirement. To aid its search, the symphony invited a succession of guest conductors to lead the orchestra throughout its last two seasons.
One of those guest conductors stood out. Canadian Adam Johnson, the award-winning assistant conductor of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, was named the symphony’s new music director in June.
“I had a great relationship with the orchestra when I first conducted them as a guest conductor in January (2023), so straight away I felt there was great chemistry,” Johnson says. “I had a very good connection with the audience, as well. It was one of those things where you just felt it had the right energy.”
|
|
|
Along with years of experience in conducting, Johnson, 44, has also designed educational materials for music teachers and programs to introduce more young people to music. He holds a doctorate in performance in piano from the University of Montreal and is the father of three young sons.
Johnson says a factor in his decision to accept the Baton Rouge Symphony post was the palpable passion the orchestra has for putting on high-quality performances. Local support of the arts also didn’t hurt, he adds.
“The orchestra has a lot of support from the community from donors, and so we’re able to bring in a lot of top-notch soloists and do things that an orchestra of this budget and size wouldn’t normally get to do,” he says.
Indeed, Yo-Yo Ma returns to play with the symphony in March, part of the Pennington Family Foundation’s Great Performers in Concert, a series that has also featured soprano Renée Fleming and trumpeter Chris Botti.
Founded in 1947, the Baton Rouge Symphony is the oldest professional orchestra in Louisiana. Since the pandemic, it has worked hard to draw audiences back to face-to-face concerts. Tickets for its intimate candelight concerts have often sold out. Johnson says real magic happens when spectators witness a live performance.
“Coming to a live concert is an entirely different experience that moves us in different ways,” he says. “There’s a real connection and communion among audience members that happens.”
|
|
|
As a conductor, Johnson says his style is to try to “embody the music as much as possible.”
“If you think of the word ‘conductor,’ it’s like conducting electricity or being a conduit,” Johnson says. “I want, through my conducting, to be a link between the intentions of the composer and the musicians. I want it to be open, welcoming, inspiring and energizing.” brso.org
MORE TO WATCH
Jeff Landry
This month, the Republican will move from the Louisiana Attorney General’s office to the Governor’s Mansion after he’s sworn in to the state’s top office. His decisive victory last fall represents a partisan trend in Louisiana politics: After he’s inaugurated, a Republican will lead every statewide elected office. Landry has promised to fight for gun rights, cut taxes and protect “parents’ rights from the ‘woke’ mob.” He’ll start his term with a court-mandated special session to redraw Louisiana’s congressional map and has already called for another special session on crime.