John Devlin Named Music Director & Conductor of Lancaster Festival Orchestra
After an extensive search The Lancaster Festival Board of Directors has announced John Devlin as its new Music Director to lead the orchestra. Devlin will be working with Festival board members and staff to plan and conduct the 2025 Lancaster Festival.
Devlin was selected after a thorough international search from more than 100 highly qualified applicants. A selection committee comprised of members of the Board of Directors and representatives from the Lancaster Festival Orchestra narrowed the pool of candidates and interviewed several individuals, and Devlin rose to the top.
“From his first interview with us, John had a unique understanding of the mission of the Festival and the important role the Music Director plays both during the Festival and throughout the year,” said Jeff Spangler, Board President. “Combined with expertise and creative vision, John is bringing an exciting new perspective to the Lancaster Festival that will complement and enhance our tradition of delivering an incredible 10 days of music, art and community.”
Conductor John Gennaro Devlin is an ardent champion of American music, an innovator of concert design, and a thought leader in the field of classical music. Currently in his sixth season as Music Director of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra (WSO), Devlin is only the ninth conductor in its 90-year history to hold that title.
For his work with the WSO, Devlin was named a recipient of the 2023 Georg Solti Foundation Career Assistance Award. Also in 2023, Devlin was honored by Wheeling’s mayor, Glenn F. Elliott, with the Mayor’s Award for “distinguished service, loyalty, and dedication to our city.”
Devlin’s artistry and versatility make him a frequent guest conductor with major orchestras across the nation. His engagements have included performances with the National Symphony Orchestra, Utah Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, Sarasota Orchestra, Colorado
Springs Philharmonic, Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra, Columbus Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Greenville Symphony Orchestra, Allentown Symphony Orchestra,
Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, Wintergreen Festival Orchestra, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, and the American Repertory Ballet. Of his debut with the National Symphony Orchestra and violin soloist Joshua Bell, Anne Midgette of The Washington Post wrote that Devlin “led the evening with flair ... and was visibly in his element.”
John Gennaro Devlin is an American conductor of Italian and Irish heritage. He completed his master’s and doctoral degrees in orchestral conducting under the tutelage of James Ross at the University of Maryland School of Music. As an undergraduate student, Devlin attended Emory University as a Robert W. Woodruff Scholar, graduating summa cum laude with a double major in Clarinet Performance and Latin. Devlin has also benefitted enormously from his time as a member of the New York Youth Symphony, at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and at the Pierre Monteux School. His professional career has been shaped by his time as an assistant to conductors Gianandrea Noseda, Christoph Eschenbach, Rossen Milanov, and Victoria Gau.
For more information about Devlin’s impressive career, please visit www.JohnDevlinMusic.com.
“I am thrilled to begin my time as part of the Lancaster Festival family in the summer of 2025. Throughout the search process, it was evident that the leadership team of Executive Director Deb Connell, the board of directors led by Jeff Spangler, and the entire group of staff and supporters of the Festival are all committed to bringing arts experiences of the highest level to the Lancaster community and beyond. Working with the Lancaster Festival Orchestra, led by concertmaster Dmitri Pogorelov, will be a deeply rewarding experience for me, as the Orchestra is made up of some of the nation’s best players, drawn from top symphonies around the country.”
“I find it very inspiring that the Lancaster Festival places equal emphasis on community- connected programming, top-level national touring artists, and the inclusion of a symphony orchestra. I believe this to be a model of how an orchestra, and an institution, can best deliver meaningful programming to the people of its region. I want to thank the entire organization for its belief in my ability to lead the next chapter of the Lancaster Festival Orchestra’s artistic endeavors, and I want to pay tribute to Maestro Gary Sheldon, who helped shape the Festival in so many ways over his more than 30 years of service. I look forward to meeting everyone in the Lancaster Festival community this summer, and to a great season of music together,” Devlin said.
Devlin officially began his employment with the Festival on January 1, 2025. Festival leaders plan to host a welcome reception and other activities to help Devlin learn more about the community.
“We are looking forward to watching John work with our incredible orchestra and to see what inspiring and exciting new programming we can create together,” said Connell. “His fresh perspective coupled with his understanding of the importance of preserving our traditions will allow us to try new things, continue delivering high quality programming and engage current and new festival audiences.”
More information about this year’s Lancaster Festival will be announced soon at www.lancasterfestival.org and on the Festival’s social media platforms.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Angela Krile, 740-974-3948, angela@krilecommunications.com
