North Carolina’s Winston-Salem Symphony Hires New Music Director

Conductor Michelle Merrill is the orchestra’s first female music director in its 76-year history and will assume the role as of the 2023/24 season

After an 18-month search, the Winston-Salem Symphony (WSS) has announced Michelle Merrill as its music director for the next three years. This appointment makes her the only woman to lead a professional orchestra in the Carolinas. 

Merrill was one of six finalists out of 62 invited applicants for the position. She will succeed Timothy Redmond, who abruptly resigned in August 2021, after a little over two years.

Selected for her outstanding community engagement and ability to inspire, innovate, and collaborate, Merrill will continue to serve as a guest conductor and her role as music director of the Coastal Symphony of Georgia. 

She previously served as an assistant and associate conductor to Leonard Slatkin at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where she was also the Phillip and Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador. 

Her accolades include a 2016 Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award and the 2013 Ansbacher Conducting Fellowship, which offered her the chance to be in residence at the Salzburg Festival. 

Born in Dallas, Texas, she played drums in high school, studied saxophone in college, and later pursued a master’s of conducting with Paul C. Phillips at the Southern Methodist University. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in performance and music education. 

Her first concert performance with WSS in September 2023 at the Reynolds Auditorium will be the season opener. 

“I am incredibly excited to be a part of the symphony’s mission to bring music to life,” said Merrill. “I believe that we can make the Symphony’s programs relevant to people from all walks of life, creating experiences that invite as many people as possible to personally experience the joy of this great art form,” she added.

“I look forward to working together with the incredibly dedicated musicians in this orchestra to awaken something in loyal patrons and newcomers alike so that they are compelled to return and discover what the Winston-Salem Symphony has to offer next.”

“The Winston-Salem Symphony is thrilled to welcome Michelle as our new artistic leader,” said WSS CEO and president Merritt Vale. “She effortlessly makes every person she meets feel special, and her ability to connect with people is evident in the magic she makes on stage. We can’t wait to see where her innovative leadership takes us.”

Entering its 76th season, the WSS is one of the Southeast’s highly acclaimed regional orchestras. It reaches listeners of all ages throughout North Carolina's Piedmont Triad with annual concerts, education programs, and community engagement initiatives.