JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Music Director Henry Cheng wants to do more.
Cheng, who was selected in May to lead the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra, said he often thinks of the words of a fellow conductor.
“He said, ‘Henry, there are two types of conductors in this world, one that wakes up in the morning and thinks that they’re the world’s gift to music, never doubting, never questioning,’” Cheng said. “The other type of conductor is one that wakes up every single morning and asks himself, ‘Have I done enough?’”
Cheng told that story and others at an Aug. 13 meeting held by the Rotary Club of Johns Creek-North Fulton. The music director, who is also an accomplished conductor and composer, said he worked to apply that mentality in the orchestra’s next season, which is titled “Imagine: Your Playlist.”
“It’s sharing stories that I hope connect with the community, whether it’s exploring ideas of grief, ideas of overcoming and how we’re actually much more connected than ever,” he said. “Often we feel more lonely than ever, right? But music is that bridge.”
The season, Cheng’s first in Johns Creek, runs Sept. 20-May 23 and includes seven concerts. It features traditional classical works by Bach and Shostakovich to popular songs like “Imagine” by John Lennon and “Georgia On My Mind” by Hoagy Charmichael with vocals by Mikaela Ayira, a standout of NBC’s “The Voice” and Chattahoochee High School graduate.
Every event will offer a preconcert lecture and meet and greet for donors to visit with musicians on stage.
That dynamic programming is a reflection of Cheng’s philosophy of meeting the audience where they are. Since his arrival in Johns Creek, he has applied that mentality figuratively and literally.
For example in May, Cheng was invited to Chattahoochee High School to partake in their orchestra classroom performance that included a dance flash mob and live music.
“It answered this question of not just how to be of service and have I done enough to be of service, but who am I in service to,” he said.
He also is working to create a program called Symphony for Every Student, which will admit any student with a school ID into concerts for free.
Cheng replaces the late founder and maestro J. Wayne Baughman, who died November 2023 after battling pancreatic cancer. Beloved by the orchestra and community, Baughman founded the orchestra in 2007.
As an internationally recognized conductor, Cheng has led performances across Europe, Asia and North America, winning numerous awards.
He is the winner of the Antal Doráti International Conducting Competition and the European Union Conducting Competition.
Throughout his career, Cheng has spanned a variety of musical styles and artistic forms, working on projects involving metaverse technology, videogames like Minecraft and Korean pop music. He has also collaborated with Justice Desk Africa, a South African human rights organization inspired by Nelson Mandela’s legacy.
Cheng said he was particularly inspired by the enormously popular Korean pop band BTS and their attitude toward changing the world.
After first learning about the group, he pored over their discography and was delighted to find a message that resonated deeply with him.
“They’re talking about gun violence. They’re talking about sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological abuse,” he said. “They’re talking about really heavy topics. If I could bring 1 percent of that mentality … How cool is that?”
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