In January, North Carolina Symphony President and CEO Chambless Worters publicly announced that Grant Llewellyn would be its new music director after a three-year international search. This selection made Llewellyn only the fifth music director in the 72-year establishment of the North Carolina Symphony, succeeding the 21-year tenure of Gerhardt Zimmerman. This September, the experienced conductor takes the stage to officially open the Symphony's 2004-05 Classical Season.

Be the first to meet the man and experience the artistry of Maestro Llewellyn when he sits down to talk with host William Friday on UNC-TV's North Carolina People, Friday, August 6, at 9 PM. This program will rebroadcast on Sunday, August 8, at 5:30 PM.

In this special episode, Llewellyn sheds light on his new role with the North Carolina Symphony that includes conducting, giving artistic guidance and selecting guest musicians. The renowned music man also shares his plans for the future of the Symphony, as well as his hopes to create a heightened awareness for the arts in the Tar Heel state.

Born in 1960 in Tenby, South Wales, Grant Llewellyn studied at Chethams School of Music, the Conservatorio di Francesco Morlacchi, Perugia and Cambridge University, where he received both choral and academic exhibitions, before taking up a Conducting Scholarship at the Royal College of Music, under Norman del Mar. Llewellyn went on to win a Conducting Fellowship to the Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts in 1985 where he worked with such major artists as Bernstein, Ozawa, Masur and Previn.

The Music Director of the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston and Conductor in Residence with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Grant Llewellyn has held the positions of Associate Conductor with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Principal Guest Conductor of the Stavanger Symphony and Principal Conductor of the Royal Flanders Philharmonic.

Funding for North Carolina People is provided by UNC-TV members and Wachovia Bank of America. This local series is part of UNC-TV's ongoing commitment to produce programs for and about North Carolina. UNC-TV is the statewide 11-station broadcast network of the University of North Carolina.

-UNC-TV-