Jonathon Heyward began his tenure as the Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 2023, in a five-year contract that established him as one of the youngest Music Directors of a major symphony in the country and the only Black leader of a major orchestra.

Last week, the BSO announced that he has extended that original contract to run through 2031.

Heyward is set to conduct in three concerts this weekend in Rockville, College Park and Baltimore. One of the performances, of Mark Simpson's moody, mysterious Israfel, is an homage to one of Baltimore's most famous residents: Edgar Allan Poe.

He joined Tom Hall in Studio A yesterday to discuss the future of the BSO, and his future with Baltimore's beloved orchestra.

The podcast version of this conversation will not have classical music heard during the broadcast because of licensing issues.