It’s been an incredible seven years for Andrew Grams with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, but he’s decided to call it a day as Music Director and Conductor at the end of the 2020/21 season. Grams says he is proud to be the Music Director of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, which has helped raise the level of the orchestra.
Grams said: “After having had the privilege of being the Music Director of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra for seven extraordinary seasons of musical creation, I make this decision proud of the work we have done to raise the level of the orchestra and all that we have accomplished in making the connection with the community that it serves even stronger. Through these accomplishments, I discovered within myself a passion for teaching and sharing music in different ways and I am now looking to open up time in my agenda to allow myself to further pursue this kind of work.
After extensive international research, Grams joined the Elgin Symphony in 2014. He had become an Elgin Symphony audience favorite with his charismatic direction and easy accessibility. Grams was a frequent traveler as he worked extensively with the following orchestra:
- Toronto Symphony Orchestra
- Montreal Symphony Orchestra
- Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
- National Orchestra of France
- Bonn Beethovenhalle Orchestra
- BBC London Symphony Orchestra
- Sydney Symphony
- Melbourne and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras
- and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Grams promised audiences traditional masterpieces at holiday concerts and the best of John Williams throughout his seven-season tenure. He will surely be missed by ESO staff, musicians and clients, and Grams too. He expressed his feelings: “Please know that I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to conduct this beautiful orchestra. I sincerely hope that I can help attract candidates for musical direction to continue the work I have started. Of course, I intend to maintain a close relationship with ESO and continue to serve this great community in the future.