Born and raised in Rock Hill, SC, conductor Kellen Gray is one of the foremost experts and interpreters of the music of African-diasporic composers, for whom he is a passionate advocate and champion.
Since September 2024, Gray serves as conductor & artistic director of the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra (Indiana). This follows from a position as associate artist of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (2023–24), a newly created role that saw him conduct, curate, and present programs across the RSNO’s series offerings.
Recent and forthcoming guest conducting highlights include engagements with the Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Houston Symphonies; Minnesota Orchestra; National Symphony Orchestra (D.C.); and Seattle Opera; among others. Gray also works with such U.K. orchestras as the BBC National Orchestra of Wales; BBC, London, and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras; and the RSNO.
Gray credits the many folk music styles of the south-eastern United States as his earliest and most impactful musical influences, and his repertoire interests to date have been fueled by the engaged pursuit of that same spirit of cultural authenticity. A passionate champion for African-diasporic composers, Gray was the founder and curator of Charleston Symphony’s Project Aurora: a programming and performance initiative aiming to illustrate the importance of African American arts and culture as equally valuable to its European equivalent. Additionally, he serves as assistant editor and conductor liaison for the African Diaspora Music Project.
Gray’s discography to date comprises African American Voices and African American Voices II, made with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, showcasing music by Margaret Bonds, William Dawson, William Grant Still, Coleridge Taylor Perkinson, Florence Price, and George Walker. Both records have met with the highest critical acclaim, including a 5-star review from Diapason magazine.
Gray’s appointment as associate artist of the RSNO marked an unprecedented but organic development following his highly successful tenure as the orchestra’s assistant conductor (2021–23). Previous positions in Gray’s formative years as a conductor included tenures with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (associate conductor, 2018–23), Chicago Sinfonietta (conducting fellow and assistant conductor, 2016–18), and Valdosta Symphony Orchestra (assistant conductor, 2014–16).
Gray is based in Baltimore, MD.
Kellen Gray will conduct TŌN on October 17, 2026.
Bio: Sep 2026