Lafayette Symphony Orchestra picks new leader, makes history as first African American in the role

The Lafayette Symphony Orchestra has selected a new conductor and artistic director after a two-year search.

WFYI’s Abriana Herron spoke with Kellen Gray, who has a background as conductor, professional violinist and beekeeper. Gray will become the orchestra’s first African American conductor and the second Black artistic leader of a professional orchestra in Indiana.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Abriana Herron: So can you tell me a little bit about your musical background and how you believe it will assist you in your new role as the conductor of the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra?

Kellen Gray: My musical background, I guess begins even farther back than I can remember. Music was just all around all the time. Whether it was, you know, rummaging through my parents' records, to being in church on Sundays, and after church hearing gospel and old fashioned call and response, to hearing rock and roll.

Like, I can literally go through one single day and hear just about every genre, particularly American genre of music that you can think of. As a conductor and artist that gets to curate programs now, I hope that sort of reflects in what I do and what I present in that.

I try to find music that is varied and touches people from all walks of life, but still has this sort of aesthetic connection between each other to be cohesive in the concert hall.

Herron: You are the first African American conductor of the LSO. What excited you the most about procuring this role?

Gray: Well, what excited me the most was just working with the musicians of the Lafayette Symphony and getting more into the community. You know, you never really know or can predict the level of chemistry that will be between a conductor and a group of musicians until you're actually there and making music together. And I felt like right from the very minute that we spent together in Lafayette for my trial week, that we were making music and communicating right away.

As far as me being the first African Diasporic conductor of the Lafayette Symphony, and only second in the state of Indiana, you know, it’s nothing new for me, frankly. If you are Black, and in Classical music, you probably are the only one, or if not the first one. I've been the only Black conductor or first Black conductor on staff at every orchestra I've been with, whether it be the Valdosta Symphony of Georgia, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, even in a 125-year-old orchestra, I was still the first Black conductor on staff.

But I do take on the responsibility and understand the role of representation, in that I didn't see any conductors or classical musicians when I was a kid, and it's hard to be what you can't see. So I understand that there are people that see me who I need to be an example for, and I will open doors for, because those doors were open to me.

Herron: How did you go from a beekeeper to a conductor?

Gray: Before I became a conductor, I was a professional violinist in an orchestra and I just got burned out, frankly. And during that time, I began working at Savannah Bee Company. Somewhere along the line, I began playing gigs as a freelancer and regional orchestras around South Carolina, Georgia and other parts of the South. And it sort of just hit me one day when I was in a rehearsal, that conductors and beekeepers sort of do the same thing.

A hive of bees is a super organism in which every worker bee, all the female bees, have a job or they rotate jobs throughout the time of their life. And with musicians, we all just, despite what instrument we play, we rotate roles throughout the life of a composition. And it's really the conductor's job to sort of make the life of all in the hive easier. So you're really there to help facilitate things that could be done without you, but to create some ease.

Herron: And what are some things you hope to accomplish during your tenure?

Gray: What I really hope is to continue expanding the orbit in the circumference around the Lafayette Symphony. The symphony serves 14 counties of Central Indiana, and I would love to see more people from those outer reaches, from those cities that aren't Lafayette, to be in the concert hall with us, and for us to find ways to get out to them. You know, I really believe that music has a role in everybody's life.

But I think there are ways in which an orchestra can really reach people where they are. We can find music that is already familiar to them, and emit and bring them in contact with music that they're not familiar with and touch them in a way that doesn't often happen. So I'm mostly, and most broadly, just looking forward to bringing people together both in the concert hall at the Long Center, and outside.

Contact WFYI Morning Edition newscaster and reporter Abriana Herron at aherron@wfyi.org.