NICHOLAS HERSH
THANK YOU , NICK !
With his seasoned leadership and creativity , Nicholas Hersh has greatly shaped the BSO ’ s past seven seasons through his tenure as Associate Conductor . Appointed as Assistant Conductor in 2014 and then promoted to Associate Conductor in 2016 , Nick has been a critical partner in some of the BSO ’ s most innovative projects .
Conductor of BSO Pulse , which involved collaboration between indie artists and the Orchestra , Nick helped establish the concerts as one of Baltimore ’ s most popular concert series through arrangements of orchestral repertoire and a collaboration with WTMD .
The Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras have also thrived under Nick ’ s leadership . With no fear of a great challenge , Nick has taken the Youth Orchestra to new levels by programming difficult orchestral repertoire and closing each rehearsal with music theory and history lessons . He has continued to shape the student ’ s music education during the pandemic by continuing online rehearsals , even arranging Elgar ’ s famous Pomp and Circumstance March No . 1 specifically tailored to the talents of the graduating seniors of the orchestra . Most recently , Nick has begun incorporating a discussion of “ Composers You Should Know ” into rehearsals and bringing attention to BIPOC and women composers .
Fully digital , this season has been made possible by Nick ’ s eagerness to learn new , untraditional repertoire every week , as well as his skills for new arrangements and informative conversation . His commitment to performing works by composers of color has greatly shaped and enhanced the programming of BSO Sessions — work that will help inform the BSO ’ s programming long into the future .
The 2020-21 season concludes Nick ’ s tenure as Associate Conductor , as he passes the baton to Assistant Conductor Jonathan Rush , who was recently announced as the next Artistic Director for the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras and Conductor of the Youth Orchestra for next season . Thank you for everything , Nick !
BSO SESSIONS | MAY-JUNE 2021
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