Kwamé Ryan
- Music Department
He was born in Toronto, Canada; his parents came from Trinidad and Tobago and were studying there. He spent most of his childhood in Trinidad. He decided to become a musician after seeing (and hearing) Star Wars when it first came out in theaters. His parents took him to a concert by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and he was fascinated watching the conductor.
He attended Cambridge, studied with Britain's National Youth Orchestra, and worked with conductor Mark Elder and composer/conductor Peter Eötvös. He started out conducting contemporary music, often with the Ensemble Modern, before becoming general music director of the Freiburg Opera and Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra in Germany.
He attended Cambridge, studied with Britain's National Youth Orchestra, and worked with conductor Mark Elder and composer/conductor Peter Eötvös. He started out conducting contemporary music, often with the Ensemble Modern, before becoming general music director of the Freiburg Opera and Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra in Germany.