Jonathon Heyward

Jonathon Heyward (born 1992 in Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.) is an American conductor and cellist. He is currently chief conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie and music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. As of October 2023, he is the youngest music director of any major orchestra in the United States.

Heyward grew up in West Ashley, South Carolina, in a family with no exposure to classical music. his father lived in Harlem, and his mother had parents from Russia and Yugoslavia. He was first trained as a cellist, studying with Timothy O'Malley, and chamber musician. His first public conducting opportunity took place in 2009 as part of Chamber Music Charleston's Mozart In The South Festival Youth Orchestra.

Heyward studied conducting at the Boston Conservatory with Andrew Altenbach, and then was assistant conductor for both the conservatory's opera department and the Boston Opera Collaborative, where he worked on productions of Puccini's La Bohème, Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and Britten's The Rape of Lucretia. He completed post-graduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Sian Edwards in 2016.

Heyward was assistant conductor at the Hampstead Garden Opera Company from 2013. He won the 2015 International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors. He became assistant conductor of The Hallé in 2016, and served as music director of The Hallé Youth Orchestra during that period. He first conducted at The Proms in August 2021.

Heyward became chief conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie in 2021, holding the position until at the end of the 2023/24 season.

In March 2022, Heyward first guest-conducted the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He returned as guest conductor in April 2022 for a charity concert for Ukraine. In July 2022, the orchestra announced the appointment of Heyward as its next music director, effective with the 2023/24 season, with an initial contract of five years. Heyward is the first conductor of colour to be named music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.In May 2023, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts announced the appointment of Heyward as the next music director of the orchestra formerly affiliated with the Mostly Mozart Festival, which is scheduled to undergo a name change from 2024 onwards as part of its 'Summer for the City' festival.

In October 2023, Heyward was named to Time magazine's list of Next Generation Leaders.