Ex-tuba player to help lead Charlotte Symphony

Jacomo Rafael Bairos is a Portugal native raised in Miami.

By Steven Brown

A musician who was born in Portugal and raised in Miami will become the Charlotte Symphony’s assistant conductor in September, backing up new music director Christopher Warren-Green.

Jacomo Rafael Bairos started his career as a tuba player. He began conducting while he was a member of the Singapore Symphony, then studied conducting at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore from 2007 to 2009.

In Charlotte, Bairos will lead Lollipops performances for young people, educational concerts and other programs. He’ll also be the backup conductor for Classics concerts in case the scheduled conductor can’t perform.

Warren-Green described Bairos as “a fine conductor and a passionate educator” in a statement the orchestra released Thursday.

“He is enthusiastic about community engagement, artistic collaboration and the education of young people,” Warren-Green said, and will help the orchestra reach “a new level of artistic excellence and community service.”

As director of orchestras for the Baltimore School for the Arts, Bairos has helped created outreach programs for young people. He’s the music director of this year’s National Youth Orchestra Festival in Portugal. He has guest-conducted professional orchestras in Iceland, Malaysia and Portugal, as well as the Bangor (Maine) Symphony in the United States.

The Charlotte Symphony chose Bairos from 65 applicants. He was one of four finalists who tried out last week in a closed rehearsal with the orchestra. He’ll move to Charlotte in mid-September.