CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Symphony Music Director Kwame Ryan won a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording on Sunday, marking the first time a music director in the history of the orchestra has received the honor.
Ryan won the award for “Heggie: Intelligence,” a recording produced with the Houston Grand Opera.
Ryan is the first Black music director to lead the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. He returned to Charlotte this week after attending the ceremony in Los Angeles, where he accepted the award for his work on the operatic recording.
Ryan reached the ceremony in Los Angeles following a difficult travel experience caused by a historic snowstorm. He spent 12 hours at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Saturday before taking an Uber to Atlanta to catch a different flight.
He arrived at the Grammy Awards while the ceremony was already underway. Ryan said he did not expect to win but wanted to be present for the experience.
Ryan is currently in his second season as music director with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. He described the award as a validation of hard work that he had not previously imagined for his career.
“Winning a Grammy wasn’t something that was in any way on my life’s vision board,” said Ryan. “I never even considered that as a possibility. So how to obtain that for myself is super exciting.”
Beyond his personal achievement, Ryan emphasized the significance of the award for the local music community. He noted that the recognition demonstrates the quality of the Charlotte Symphony to a global audience.
“I’m excited for Charlotte to think of the Charlotte Symphony as what it is, which is a music ensemble that is capable of working at that level, at that high international level,” Ryan expressed.
Ryan also discussed the importance of representation and how seeing diverse leaders in classical music influenced him as a child. He recalled watching prominent artists like soprano Leontyne Price and conductor Zubin Mehta perform together at the New York Philharmonic.
“For me, when I was 8, 9, 10, seeing artists like Price, the great African American soprano, or Mehta, you know, the great Indian conductor, working together at the new Philharmonic,” Ryan said. “I watched them on stage and thought, you know, kind of naively, ‘Oh, so that’s possible for me.’”
Ryan will return to the stage at the Belk Theater next weekend. He expressed hope that the community will come out to support and enjoy the orchestra.
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