One-on-one with Kellen Gray, LSO’s new conductor
Once a beekeeper, Maestro Kellen Gray finds similarities in conducting music by ‘creating ease for everyone in the hive.’ A Q&A with Lafayette Symphony Orchestra’s new conductor.
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Today’s feature comes from Based in Lafayette correspondent Liz Evans and her conversation with the new conductor leading the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra.
MEET KELLEN GRAY, LSO’S NEW CONDUCTOR
By Liz Evans / For Based in Lafayette
Due to a prior commitment, Kellen Gray couldn’t attend a Jazz Brunch on June 23 where he was announced as the new conductor and artistic director of the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra, replacing in retired conductor Nick Palmer.
But it wasn’t as if he was stranger to LSO audiences. Gray spent a week in Lafayette during the 2023-24 season, one of three finalists who led LSO concerts in what amounted to a yearlong audition.
Gray will be the sixth conductor and the first Black conductor for LSO. He will also be only the second Black conductor to lead a professional orchestra in Indiana. In addition to his role as conductor, he will also be the first artistic director of the LSO.
Gray, a native of Rock Hill, South Carolina, has been the associate artist of the Scottish National Orchestra, associate conductor of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, conducting fellow and assistant conductor or the Chicago Sinfonietta, and assistant conductor of the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra. His resume includes guest conducting with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra in London and the Seattle Opera.
We caught up with Gray this week for more about his goals for LSO, his influences, his style and how his beekeeping past brings it all together.
Question: Why did you apply to be the next conductor of the LSO? What drew you to the position and Lafayette, Indiana?
Kellen Gray: From a distance Lafayette seemed similar to my hometown – a mid-sized town, a community where everyone knows each other and a place ideal to raise a family. The orchestra itself seemed to have the potential and flexibility to align with my programming wheelhouse regarding American music, particularly the works that connect what we consider traditional classical music with the many folk styles of America.
Question: After spending a week in-residence with the LSO, how did it impact your interest in the position? What did you take away from that week?
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