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Published 1:00 pm Monday, August 25, 2025<\/p>\n
\n By JAMES SLOAN \/ Rogue Valley Times<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n Norman Huynh is set to be the fifth music director to lead the Britt Festival Orchestra in its 62-year history, bringing his energetic style and charm to the podium.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just filled with gratitude to be a part of an organization with such rich history and camaraderie,\u201d Huynh said. \u201cThe orchestra is so good and full of incredible musicians and people love coming to Jacksonville every summer \u2026 they\u2019ve formed a tight-knit community in the orchestra and you can hear that and see that when they play.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Huynh\u2019s first taste of the local orchestra was in the summer of 2023 when he came to the Britt Pavilion to guest conduct \u201cThe Princess Bride: In Concert.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI got a call maybe the day before or two days before the concert date,\u201d Huynh said. \u201cI had just recently done \u2018The Princess Bride\u2019 with the Oregon Symphony and I thought, \u2018Oh sure, I\u2019ve heard of Britt and (former music director) Teddy (Abrams),\u2019 but I didn\u2019t really know in terms of the level and quality of the orchestra.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI went and conducted the dress rehearsal (the morning of the show) and was immediately blown away,\u201d he added. \u201cKnowing the musicians and where they come from, it felt very easy right from the beginning and a sign that the orchestra\u2019s very good.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Charmed by the venue and the picturesque backdrop of the Rogue Valley as well as the Britt organization and historic town of Jacksonville, Huynh, after hearing that BFO was looking for a new leader to take up the mantle, said he knew he had to apply for the music director role.<\/span><\/p>\n After a two-year search, Huynh was announced as BFO\u2019s new music director to replace Abrams \u2014 for a three-year term \u2014 in early August.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a tremendous honor to announce him as the next leader of this fabulous orchestra, where he\u2019ll carry on the incredible legacies of previous Music Directors Teddy Abrams, Peter Bay, James DePriest and Britt\u2019s founder, John Trudeau,\u201d said Abby McKee, president and CEO of Britt Music & Arts Festival.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Huynh\u2019s role will include being the artistic leader of BFO\u2019s three-week summer season, shaping long-term artistic planning with new programs in close collaboration with Britt\u2019s leadership and artistic teams, combining work to reach and inspire audiences across the region, serving as a key ambassador for Britt and its orchestra with community engagement, education and other initiatives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Revered for his dynamic conducting style, innovative programming and ability to connect with concert-goers of all ages and experience levels, Huynh has conducted prestigious orchestras across the U.S., Europe and Asia, including the Oregon Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Huynh has also been the music director for the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra in Montana since 2020, during which time the ensemble has experienced record success, growing its subscriber base by 54% and driving ticket revenue up more than 200%.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Prior to his role with the BSO, Huynh was an associate conductor for the Oregon Symphony and assistant conductor of the Portland (Maine) Symphony Orchestra, where he launched the \u201cSymphony and Spirits\u201d concert series for under-40 audiences and the PSO Explorers Program, which earned Huynh and the orchestra the 2015 Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award in recognition of his innovative approach to music education.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Huynh\u2019s hiring coincides with Britt\u2019s \u201cNext Big Dream\u201d multi-year strategic plan centered on innovation, impact and an inclusive approach to audience development.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy goal is to find a path for everyone in the community to connect with the orchestra, not just through the classical repertoire,\u201d Huynh said. \u201cI like to think of the orchestra as a chameleon in terms of what we can do.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Huynh was born and raised in Alabama to immigrant parents from Taiwan and Vietnam, spending time as a kid in his family\u2019s buffet restaurant and not truly being exposed to the world of music until his cousin brought home a trombone when he was in fifth grade.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt felt very easy and natural to me and I was totally engrossed by it,\u201d he said of the brass instrument.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Huynh continued pursuing music through high school and into college with plans of becoming a band director until a particular piece of music struck him at his core, changing his career trajectory.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOnce I heard Gustav Maller\u2019s \u2018Symphony No. 2,\u2019 that was a life-changing moment for me; instead of going to be a band director, I wanted to work at the highest level conducting the best orchestral music like I\u2019d just heard,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To learn more about the Britt Festival Orchestra, visit <\/span>britt.org\/britt-orchestra<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n