Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra opens season with ‘excitement,’ new music director
When Keith Cerny started as president and CEO of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in January 2019, he knew one of his most important responsibilities was working to recruit a new music director.
A committee of board members, staff and musicians reviewed various candidates, believing that conductor, pianist and composer Robert Spano was a longshot because he was so in-demand and busy with various projects. But then COVID upended musical performances, and Cerny took the opportunity to recruit Spano.
With his inaugural season beginning Sept. 9, four-time Grammy Award winner Spano is now the tenth music director in the history of the orchestra, which was founded in 1912. He’s been involved with the orchestra since 2019, first as principal guest conductor, then as music director designate in 2021. After Miguel Harth‐Bedoya stepped down from his role of 20 years, Spano stepped into an initial three-year term as music director in August.
“This is a momentous time for the Fort Worth Symphony,” Cerny said. “There’s so much excitement about his appointment because he’s universally seen as an exceptional musician, and also just a great colleague.”
Maestro Spano had a two-decade tenure as music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, which he transformed “into a world-class ensemble and an incubator for new American music,” says NPR. As music director of the Aspen Music Festival and School since 2011, Spano is known for his innovative programming, which the New York Times called “an engaging reciprocity between the old and the new, the familiar and the fresh.”
In his new role, Spano will be conducting six orchestra programs per season, overseeing the orchestra and music staff, working closely with Cerny to shape the artistic direction of the orchestra and drive its growth and serving as an ambassador for the orchestra and classical music in Fort Worth.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and looking forward to getting better acquainted with the vibrant culture of this remarkable city,” Spano said in a news release. “Every facet of the orchestra is clearly committed to its success—the management team, the supporters, the audience, and certainly the marvelous musicians who make up the orchestra itself. I look forward with tremendous excitement to our concerts next season, and to creating an inspirational 2022–23 season, which will be our first complete season together.”
This past weekend, Spano brought to life Brahms’ lyric Variations on a Theme by Haydn and Schubert’s mysterious “Unfinished” symphony. Pianist Jorge Federico Osorio kicked off the season with Beethoven’s “Emperor” piano concerto, a work known for its grandeur, bold melodies and heroic spirit. The orchestra calls it “a quintessentially classical evening.”
“One of the many wonderful things about working with Robert is his sheer versatility, so he can go from a program like for this opening weekend, which is by design classics of the repertoire into a more contemporary program with works by Gershwin,” Cerny said.
The first time the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra’s principal trumpet Kyle Sherman performed alongside Spano was in March of 2019, when they played Mahler’s Symphony No. 5.
“He’s very collegial. He’s incredibly clear. He’s a joy to be around. I find his interpretations exciting,” Sherman said. “He’s just a wonderful guy, fantastic musician. And it’s been a blast so far, and I’m just really excited to continue our work together.”
As music director, Spano plans on expanding the orchestra’s symphonic series. FWSO has done 10 symphonic weekends per season in the past, which will be upped to 11 this year, and 12 next year and the year after that. Spano and Cerny will build up the orchestra by adding one position a year, with the goal of getting the core orchestra up to 70 or more musicians. Since April 2021, when Spano became music director designate, the orchestra has hired nine tenure track musicians.
They’re also working with the Texas Ballet Theatre for “a night at the ballet.” Later this fall, FWSO will bring in several opera singers.
The most notable change will be in artistic direction, Sherman says, including programming choices, the way the music is interpreted and expressed, and what kind of sound they’re looking for from the orchestra.
Working with Spano, principal keyboardist Buddy Bray says the transition has been easy because he takes a collaborative approach to music.
“You get the sense when Robert is on the podium that all 80 of you are creating something together, that he’s sort of creating a feedback loop there. It’s not just maestro and 80 people doing what maestro says, it’s all sort of a collective,” Bray says. “The thing that makes us really love Robert so much is that he comes alive in the presence of music. He gets a smile on his face, he loves it so manifestly that you can’t help but love it too.”
A New Musical Era Begins: Brahms, Beethoven, and Schubert launched the next chapter in the symphony’s history Friday Sept. 9 to Sunday Sept. 11 at Bass Performance Hall.
“Fort Worth is a city on the rise, and it’s far from being one of the country’s best kept secrets when it comes to the arts,” Sherman said. “So big things are happening here.”
