Robert Spano is one of the leading conductors of his generation. He has led most of the major American orchestras (including the "Big Five") and has won several Grammy Awards with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, which he led as music director from 2001 until 2021. Spano conducts a broad range of repertoire that includes contemporary works (Golijov and Higdon have prominently figured in his concerts) and operatic performances. He has also appeared frequently on television, from arts presentations on PBS to more mass-appeal programs such as Late Show with David Letterman. In 2020, Spano led the Atlanta Symphony on an album of music by Michael Gandolfi, Richard Prior, and James Oliverio. The following year, he was named music director-designate of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, with his appointment beginning in 2022.

Spano was born in Conneaut, Ohio, on May 7, 1961. Raised in Elkhart, Indiana, he thrived in the environment of his musical family, learning piano, violin, and flute. He studied music at the Oberlin Conservatory, graduating in 1983. Post-graduate studies were at the Curtis Institute, where he studied conducting with Max Rudolph. At Bowling Green State University (where he first became acquainted with Jennifer Higdon), Spano taught conducting from 1985 until 1989. From 1990 to 1993, he served as assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Spano rose to prominence when he was appointed music director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra in 1996. His ascendancy to the upper echelon of conductors came quickly, as he began to appear regularly with the most prestigious American and European orchestras and at leading operatic centers. From 1998 to 2002, he served as the director of the Tanglewood Conducting Fellowship Program.

In 2001, Spano was appointed music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and soon launched a series of recordings that drew acclaim for him, as well as for his orchestra. Success came early for them when they won three Grammy Awards in 2003 for a Telarc recording of Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony. Spano and the orchestra returned to Telarc in 2004 with a recording of Higdon's City Scape and Concerto for Orchestra.

Spano left his Brooklyn post in 2004 but remained active as a teacher, conductor, and pianist. He and the Atlanta Symphony won another Grammy in 2005 for its recording of the Berlioz Requiem. That year, Spano conducted Wagner's Ring cycle at the Seattle Opera, drawing much critical acclaim. In 2008, he was recognized as Conductor of the Year by Musical America. The following year, Spano returned to the Seattle Opera for a second Ring cycle. In 2011, he and the Atlanta Symphony inaugurated its ASO Media label, where it has issued most of its recent recordings. The Aspen Music Festival and School named Spano its music director in 2011, effective in 2012.

A slew of guest conducting opportunities followed in the 2010s, along with premiering works by a number of composers, such as Higdon, Gandolfi, and Michael Kurth. Spano has also been active as a composer: in 2016, he premiered his piano sonata, Four Elements, at the Aspen Music Festival, as well as his Hölderlin-Lieder, a song cycle he composed for soprano Jessica Rivera, a frequent recital partner. Spano made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 2018, conducting the U.S. premiere of Nico Muhly's Marnie. That year, he announced he would be concluding his tenure with the Atlanta Symphony in 2021. In 2019, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra appointed him its principal guest conductor and, in 2021, announced his appointment as music director, beginning in 2022. ~ Robert Cummings & Keith Finke, Rovi