The Waco Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors has announced that Lawrence Loh will be its new Music Director and Conductor.

Loh was selected from four finalists following a long Music Director search.

In a statement, Stephen Heyde, Music Director Emeritus, Waco Symphony Orchestra, said, “I am very pleased with the announcement of Maestro Lawrence Loh as the new Music Director and Conductor of the Waco Symphony Orchestra. I have known Larry for a number of years, from his studies at Yale, through his leadership of The Syracuse Orchestra, his work as Resident Conductor with the Pittsburgh Symphony and as Associate Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Certainly, Larry is a highly gifted conductor and a talented builder of orchestras. But he also has the rare ability to construct a deep bond between the music and the audience and a genuine sense of community. These gifts promise exciting new vistas for the Waco Symphony in the years ahead and soul nourishing performances of the cherished historical repertoire and deserving new works of our time. Hearty congratulations and welcome to Maestro Loh and deepest thanks to the dedicated Committee of board members, musicians, and volunteers who made such an impressive and auspicious decision.”

Heyde retired from WSO in November of 2022 after 35 years of music directing and conducting and was awarded with the Music Director Emeritus title, and he served as the second conductor of WSO.

To get to the final pick of Music Director, WSO received more than 100 applications from people all over the globe who were seeking to be the next Music Director and WSO’s 11-member search committee performed an extensive review of the applicants.

Loh is the Music Director of The Syracuse Orchestra (formerly Symphoria) in Syracuse, New York. He has also conducted the Syracuse Opera, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony and Pittsburgh Youth Symphony, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and the Colorado Symphony.