These concerts are the North Carolina Symphony debut for John Gennaro Devlin.

John Gennaro Devlin is in his sixth season as Music Director of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra (WSO), only the ninth conductor in its 90-year history to hold that title. In 2025, Devlin began his tenure as the Music Director of the Lancaster (OH) Festival Orchestra.

For his work with the WSO, Devlin was named a recipient of the 2023 Georg Solti Foundation Career Assistance Award. Also in 2023, Devlin was honored by Wheeling’s mayor, Glenn F. Elliott, with the Mayor’s Award for “distinguished service, loyalty, and dedication to our city.”

Devlin’s engagements include performances with the National Symphony Orchestra, Utah Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Sarasota Orchestra, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra, Columbus Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, and the American Repertory Ballet. Of his debut with the National Symphony Orchestra and violin soloist Joshua Bell, Anne Midgette of The Washington Post wrote that Devlin “led the evening with flair … and was visibly in his element.”

Devlin has premiered and/or commissioned over 50 new American works, including pieces by Clarice Assad, Adolphus Hailstork, Arlene Sierra, Leanna Primiani, Eric Nathan, Michael-Thomas Foumai, Enrico Lopez-Yañez, Michael Ellis Ingram, Evan Meier, and Quinn Mason. He has recent or upcoming performances with many significant American soloists, including Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Time for Three, Chris Thile, Sasha Cooke, Clarice Assad, Joshua Roman, Stefan Jackiw, Tessa Lark, Xavier Foley, Eunice Kim, Third Coast Percussion, Shara Nova, Soloman Howard, Madeline Adkins, and Maxim Lando.

Music of the stage and cinema are also focuses of Devlin’s work with American artists. He has collaborated with Broadway artists including Sutton Foster, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Sierra Boggess, Hugh Panaro, Scarlett Strallen, Capathia Jenkins, Morgan James, Dee Roscioli, Christiane Noll, and Ryan Shaw. He is also active as a conductor of films with live orchestra soundtracks, including the Harry Potter series, other John Williams scores, and Disney film projects.

Devlin completed his master’s and doctoral degrees in orchestral conducting at the University of Maryland School of Music.