Introducing: Andrew Grams, candidate for TSO conductor slot

Throughout the 2015-16 Tucson Symphony Orchestra season, we are featuring conductors vying to become the next TSO music director.

Who: Andrew Grams, 38, music director of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra in Illinois.

Concert: Season opener “Copland Romance, Rachmaninoff Dance,” anchored by Rachmaninoff’s “Symphonic Dances.”

Bio at a glance: Maryland native had his first conducting shot when he was the 17-year-old concertmaster for the World Youth Symphony Orchestra at Michigan’s famed Interlochen Arts Camp. He got a chance to lead his teen colleagues in a piece at the end of the summer. He went on to graduate from the Juilliard School with a violin performance degree and from Curtis Institute with a conducting degree. He has been with Elgin Symphony since 2013 and has guest conducted throughout the U.S. and Canada.

TSO record: Debuted with the TSO in November 2013 with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 and Philip Glass’s Double Concerto. Returned in 2014-15 to conduct the SuperPops concert “The Ultimate Symphonic Rock Show.” In addition to the opener, leads the orchestra in the choral behemoth “Carmina Burana” in March.

Something you’ve come to know about the Old Pueblo: “It’s a very, very good orchestra and the public seems to be very enthusiastic and enjoys their orchestra, which is of paramount importance. ... The quality of the musicianship is very high, the area is lovely and beautiful — maybe a tad bit hot this time of year I’m assuming.”

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Fondest memory of past experience: “I had a very lovely couple of rounds (of golf) with my brother at Ventana Canyon.

Overall conducting philosophy: “What I see my main role when it comes to the concert is to empower the musicians to make the music. I am the only person up there that’s not making any sound. I have an influence on it in some way, but when it comes to concert time, I am their biggest fan. I’m their cheerleading squad. And I try to help them and empower them to imbue the music with everything that they have to give.”

Something we should know about you before showtime: “I am very approachable. I am not a scary maestro. Everybody can come and say hi to me; I love meeting people.”

About your program: “I think we have come up with an interesting program that will start off with this Elgar piece that was inspired by a vacation Elgar took to Italy. He was able to come up with this 20-minute, dynamic, very scenic and at times very tranquil … tone poem.

“…The name Aaron Copland is known by absolutely everybody, but very few people are familiar with the instrumental music from his opera ‘The Tender Land.’ We’re going to do a couple selections from that: a party scene that starts the beginning of Act 2 and one of the best pieces of American music ever composed. It is a song that’s not a song but it’s sort of sung by everybody and it builds and builds and builds and it’s called the ‘Promise Of Living.’ It’s a wonderful, wonderful piece of music. And then after that we will do the Rachmaninoff ‘Symphonic Dances,’ which is much more familiar to audiences and a spectacular piece that shows off every aspect of an orchestra’s abilities.”