Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra appoints music director

The Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra (HSO) has today announced the appointment of conductor Dane Lam to the role of music director. Lam’s five-year contract was confirmed unanimously at an HSO board meeting held earlier today.

The Chinese-Australian conductor will join the orchestra at the beginning of the 2023-2024 concert season. The orchestra, which started out as the Honolulu Symphony, was revived in 2013 after declaring bankruptcy in 2009. Lam will be the first music director in the newly renamed orchestra’s 10-year history.

Paul Kosasa, the HSO’s board chair said: ‘[Dane’s] forward-thinking personality builds on the vision and commitment of our symphony as fiscally sound, artistically innovative, and a cultural pillar of our community.’

In his new role, Lam will operate as chief artistic director of the orchestra, overseeing HSO’s repertoire, guest artists and conductors and spending 10 out of the 18 weeks of the HSO’s upcoming season on the podium. He will also work on the organisation’s existing outreach t initiatives as well as creating new engagement opportunities.

Lam will lead the HSO alongside his current role as associate music director and resident conductor at Opera Queensland, where he was the first conductor in the history of the company to be offered an official position. He will also continue as principal conductor and artistic director of China’s Xi’an Symphony Orchestra.

Accepting his new role, Lam talked about his previous collaborations with the HSO last year: ‘Every moment on the podium I felt a meeting of minds and hearts as we rehearsed and performed great masterpieces in a way that connected with our audiences. I believe an orchestra at its best should reflect and define its community and I am proud to be joining an orchestra that embodies this philosophy.’