Spoleto Festival announces new artistic leadership
September 12, 2023
Spoleto Festival USA’s General Director & CEO Mena Mark Hanna announced the appointment of conductor Timothy Myers as music director of the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra, one of the world’s most prestigious ensembles for emerging musicians. In his new role, Myers will lead its annual formation, which serves as the backbone of Spoleto’s ambitious and wide-ranging performing arts season. Myers made his Spoleto debut in 2023, conducting a thrilling production of Samuel’s Barber’s Vanessa, and in 2024, will lead the Festival Orchestra in two concerts, (program details to be announced with the full season in January).
“I am thrilled to welcome Tim to the artistic leadership at Spoleto Festival,” said Hanna, “He is an exceptionally talented musician who is passionate about fostering next generation talent, producing innovative new works, and reenvisioning the classical canon, all core tenets of Spoleto’s mission. Under Tim’s leadership, we can expect much more creative interplay between the Festival Orchestra with our jazz, chamber, and choral programs and across the artistic continuum of Spoleto.”
“Spoleto is one of most dynamic cultural institutions in the world,” stated Myers,” I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the Festival Orchestra in diverse programming that engages audiences in Charleston and beyond, and to work with Mena and the senior leadership team to envision the organization’s exciting future.”
Myers currently serves as the Sarah and Ernest Butler Music Director at Austin Opera where, in addition to leading performances, he has helped steer innovative projects such as the national PBS Specials Bella Noche de Musica and An All-Star Concert, a new production of Puccini’s Tosca at the Circuit of the Americas (North America’s first Formula 1 track), a film of David T. Little and Royce Vavrek’s opera Vinkensport (co-produced with Houston Grand Opera), and Beethoven in VR: Fidelio, a virtual reality collaboration with Washington National Opera.
Past opera engagements include productions at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Opera Philadelphia and the Wexford Festival, in repertoire ranging from Tristan and Isolde to Doctor Atomic. He has led multiple world premieres and guided repertoire development projects for the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center Theater, Houston Grand Opera, and Minnesota Opera.
As a symphonic conductor, Myers has conducted numerous orchestras internationally including the American, Beijing NCPA, Chautauqua, Jerusalem, Milwaukee, North Carolina, Portland, Toledo, Tulsa, and Winston-Salem Symphony orchestras as well as the Brooklyn, Johannesburg, and Malaysian Philharmonic orchestras.
A leading voice on the topics of leadership and innovation, Myers has been a featured speaker at the SXSW Festival, Harvard Business School, The University of Texas at Austin, and Miami Dade College, and led masterclasses at Curtis Institute of Music, Rice University, and Florida State University. Myers is also the host of the Listening on Purpose podcast, an exploration of listening and connection through the lenses of notable guests such as authors Seth Godin and Chip Conley, neuroscientist Dr. Nina Kraus, and frequent TEDx contributor Julian Treasure.
A protégé of Lorin Maazel, Myers is a graduate of Southwestern College (KS), Florida State University, and in 2022 completed the Program for Leadership Development (Executive MBA) at Harvard Business School.