Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra has announced the appointment of German conductor Kevin John Edusei as the orchestra’s next Principal Guest Conductor.

Edusei’s initial three-year term will begin during the 2022-23 Season and will serve as Principal Guest Conductor Designate beginning January 1, 2022. He will become Principal Guest Conductor on August 1, 2022 and will succeed Robert Spano, who was formerly the FWSO’s Principal Guest Conductor, before becoming Music Director Designate on April 1, 2021. Spano will assume the title of Music Director on August 1, 2022, and he and Mr. Edusei will collaborate on programming and orchestra development.

Edusei is a well-known conductor who has performed across Europe and has presented classical music in new formats, cultivating audiences, introducing music by under-represented composers, conducting an eclectic range of repertoire from the baroque to the contemporary, and shaping his concert programs to communicate a dramaturgical narrative.

Edusei made his FWSO debut on Sept. 17, 2021, leading a program featuring Brian Raphael Nabors’ Pulse for Orchestra, Sibelius’ Violin Concerto with Ray Chen, and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8.

In a statement Edusei said, “I am thrilled to be joining the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra as Principal Guest Conductor. When I made my debut here in September, I was struck not only by the superb musicianship of the instrumentalists, but also by the sense of shared musical purpose that infuses the entire organization. It is a special atmosphere that I look forward to being an even greater part of, and I couldn’t ask for a better landing spot in the U.S. as I look to expand my horizons here.”