LESLIE ODOM, JR. WITH THE BSO
viral YouTube hit, and he has had his work
performed by orchestras around the globe.
Hersh lives in Baltimore with his wife
Caitlin and their two cats, and in his
free time enjoys baking (and eating)
sourdough bread.
JOSEPH MEYERHOFF SYMPHONY HALL
Friday, November 1, 2019, 8 pm
Nicholas Hersh, conductor
Leslie Odom, Jr., vocalist
Nicholas Hersh last appeared with the BSO
The intermission will last 20 minutes. The concert will end
at approximately 10 pm.
OFFICIAL AIRLINE OF THE BSO:
SUPPORTING SPONSOR:
About the Artists
Nicholas Hersh
Named a “versatile and
energetic conductor”
by The Baltimore
Sun, Nicholas Hersh
continues to earn
acclaim for his innovative programming
and natural ability to connect with
musicians and audiences alike. As
Associate Conductor of the Baltimore
Symphony Orchestra (BSO), Hersh
strives to expand the reach of orchestral
music—most notably through BSO
Pulse, a concert series that brings
together indie bands and symphony
musicians in unique collaborations.
Hersh conducts the BSO in a set
of subscription concerts each season,
utilizing the Off The Cuff format to
familiarize new concertgoers with the
orchestral repertoire. A regular guest of
the National Symphony Orchestra, he
made his subscription debut in 2019,
stepping in last minute for an indisposed
Yan Pascal Tortelier. Other guest
conducting appearances have included
the Houston, New Jersey, Phoenix, North
Carolina and New World symphonies,
as well as the Rochester Philharmonic.
Debuts in the 2019 –20 season include
the Atlanta and Virginia symphony
orchestras; the Sarasota Orchestra; and
the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.
10
OV E R T U R E / BSOmusic.org
An avid educator, Hersh serves as
the Artistic Director of the Baltimore
Symphony Youth Orchestras and directs
the BSO’s educational and family
programming, including the celebrated
Academy for adult-amateur musicians. He
is a frequent collaborator and guest faculty
at the Peabody Institute and the BSO’s
OrchKids program for Baltimore City
schoolchildren.
Hersh grew up in Evanston, IL and
started his musical training on the
cello. He earned a bachelor’s degree in
music from Stanford University and a
master’s degree in conducting from the
Indiana University Jacobs School of
Music, studying with David Effron and
Arthur Fagen. In 2011 and 2012 he was
a Conducting Fellow with the prestigious
Aspen Conducting Academy at Aspen
Music Festival and School, studying
with Robert Spano, Hugh Wolff and
Larry Rachleff and has participated in
masterclasses with Bernard Haitink and
Michael Tilson Thomas. Hersh is also a
two-time recipient of the Solti Foundation
Career Assistance Award.
Hersh is frequently in demand as
an arranger, taking on anything from
classical solo and chamber music to
popular songs—adapting them for
orchestra in an idiosyncratic, playable
style. His symphonic arrangement
of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”
continues to see worldwide success as a
The Composer Is Dead.
Program to be announced from the stage.
in October 2019, conducting Lemony Snicket’s
Leslie Odom, Jr.
Leslie Odom, Jr.
completed his run on
Broadway starring as
Aaron Burr in the original
cast of Hamilton, a role
that earned him the 2016 Tony Award
for Lead Actor in a Musical. He is also a
Grammy Award-winner as a principal soloist
on Hamilton’s Original Broadway Cast
Recording, which won the 2016 award for
Best Musical Theater Album.
Odom, Jr. made his Broadway debut
at the age of 17 in Rent before heading
to Carnegie Mellon University’s School
of Drama. He is the recipient of a 2002
Princess Grace Award for Acting.
Additional theatre credits include Leap of
Faith on Broadway, for which he won the
2012 Astaire Award for Outstanding Male
Dancer on Broadway and was nominated
for a Drama League Award; the 2014
musical Venice; and the Encores! Off-
Center production of Tick, Tick …Boom!,
which was his first time working with Lin-
Manuel Miranda.
On the small screen, Odom, Jr. is best-
known for his portrayal of Sam Strickland
in the NBC musical series Smash and his
recurring role as Reverend Curtis Scott on
Law & Order: SVU. He has also appeared on
Gotham, Person of Interest, Grey’s Anatomy,
House of Lies, Vanished and CSI: Miami. On
the big screen he starred in Red Tails and
Murder on the Orient Express.
Leslie’s debut solo album Leslie Odom, Jr.
was released in June 2016 and quickly rose
to number one on the Billboard and iTunes
Jazz charts.
Odom, Jr. was raised in Philadelphia and
currently resides in New York City.
Leslie Odom, Jr. makes his BSO debut.