Grant Llewellyn served as North Carolina Symphony’s Music Director for sixteen seasons and now holds the title of Music Director Laureate. He conducted the Symphony’s first Sensory-Friendly Concert in 2019.

Born in Tenby, South Wales, Grant Llewellyn is renowned for his exceptional charisma, energy, and easy authority in music of all styles and periods. He concluded his tenure as Music Director of the Orchestre National de Bretagne (ONB) in 2023 after eight years.

Llewellyn’s guest engagements have included the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Milwaukee, Montreal, St. Louis, and Toronto. During his time as Music Director of the Handel and Haydn Society, America’s leading period orchestra, Llewellyn gained a reputation as a formidable interpreter of music of the baroque and classical periods.

Notable recordings with the North Carolina Symphony include American Spectrum, featuring 20th century works with the saxophonist Branford Marsalis, and Britten’s Cello Symphony and Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante with the cellist Zuill Bailey. He recently recorded a disc of Lowell Liebermann’s orchestral works with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Deeply committed and passionate about engaging young people with music, Llewellyn regularly leads education and outreach projects; in 2017 he led the first ever “relaxed” BBC Prom with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, a concert specially designed for those with autism, sensory and communication impairments, and learning disabilities.