The Great Falls Symphony has named Robert Kahn as its new music director and conductor, ending a nearly two-year search for the right candidate.
Kahn was the fourth of six candidates to serve as a guest conductor with the orchestra during the selection process. He grew up in the Netherlands and his resume includes time as a cover conductor for the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Tim McGonigal reports - watch the video here:
He succeeds Grant Harville, who held the position for eight years.
Great Falls Symphony Executive Director Hillary Shepherd said the announcement has been well received.
"Yes, they're all thrilled. Everybody's really excited," Shepherd said.
Shepherd says all of the candidates were immensely qualified. She said what stood out about Kahn was his boundless energy.
"So we we were really intentional about just packing their week with appointments and with events and of course, their their late night rehearsals and a little performance at the end and kept him busy just constantly. And he was the only one who was like, you could have done more," said Shepherd. "He just never showed that he was tired. And then even on the little bit of downtime that he did have, and you found out afterwards that he was connecting with people in the community."
In a February interview with MTN, Kahn spoke about what drew him to the position.
"What really drives me to Great Falls is that there's a real sense of community. Just having talked a little bit with the people in the organization, it seems very clear that people in the organization are really committed to connecting with the community," Kahn said.
Shepherd said Kahn is already getting to work preparing for the 2026-27 season.
"So we've been speaking all week and making plans for next season, talking about programming, about dates, making sure that it works for him as best as possible. His official start date is going to be aligned with our fiscal year, which is July 1st. I believe he'll be able to hit the ground running in September," Shepherd said.
Kahn said he sees music as a unifying force in the community.
"I think music is a real source of community or can be a real source of community and inspiration. And that, I think fundamentally is what I hope to achieve with my music making, that I inspire people and I bring people together and give them hope and give them connection," Kahn said.
Kahn's first concert as permanent conductor is scheduled for October. Click here to visit the symphony website.
(FEBRUARY 10, 2026) The Great Falls Symphony will welcome its fourth conductor candidate Saturday, who brings an international perspective to the podium.
From growing up in the Netherlands to his current role as assistant conductor at the Academy of Vocal Arts, music has always been a part of Robert Kahn's life.
Tim McGonigal reports - watch the video here:
"My parents played music, cello and piano. So there was always music around and they would always take me to concerts as well," Kahn said.
He got his first clarinet at age 7 and also plays the piano, but the concert experience had a profound impact on him.
"Going to concerts was also a really big influence for me. They would take me to Amsterdam, to the Concertgebouw Orchestra, which in retrospect is one of the best musical experiences they could have asked for, because it's just an amazing orchestra and an amazing hall," Kahn said.
As he got older and started thinking about conducting, he continued studying the clarinet, which he paired with his interest in physics.
"It was really during my studies that I thought conducting is kind of perfect for me because it has music, which I love, but it also has this aspect that I love about physics, which is kind of the analysis and the kind of brainy aspect of conducting," Kahn said.
Kahn, whose resume includes time as a cover conductor for the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, was drawn to Great Falls for its sense of community. It's something that he feels music can play a role in.
WATCH THE EXTENDED INTERVIEW:
"I think we live in a time now where we're more connected than ever before in a way, with the internet, with everything, with social media. But in another very real way, I think we are getting more lonely as a society. And I think music is a real source of community or can be a real source of community and inspiration. And that, I think fundamentally is what I hope to achieve with my music making, that I inspire people and I bring people together and give them hope and give them connection," Kahn said.
Kahn also teaches students at the Manhattan School of Music in New York and believes music education is as important as ever.
"There's something that there's an energy that kids and youth orchestras give you that you can't find anywhere else. And I think as an orchestra in a community like Great Falls, there's I think a big responsibility to invest in music education," Kahn said.
While music is an international language, Kahn says orchestras in Holland are a little different than in the United States, mostly in the way they are funded.
"Most of the funding for orchestras comes from the government. And that can seem like a great thing. Often in America, people wish we had more of that, and I wish that as well," Kahn said. "But in America, it's much more connected through donors, through supporters in the community. And I actually love that because it means that as an orchestra, as an organization, we're directly connected with our source of funding rather than with politicians who one group might be happy to fund the arts, but then somebody else comes in and they want to cut the arts."
On Valentine's Day evening at 7:30 p.m., he'll lead the Great Falls Symphony in a performance fittingly called Romantic Journey, a four-piece program that wraps up with Tchaikovsky's famous Romeo and Juliet Fantasy overture.
"Even if you don't think you know the piece, I can promise you, when the time comes, everybody will go, 'Yes,' because this is a theme that, speaking of Disney, has been in every cartoon. I think growing up we've all heard this love theme and it's I think it's the greatest love theme probably ever written," Kahn said.
Kahn has a simple hope for concertgoers on Saturday.
"I think if I had to pick one word, it would be inspiration. I hope they in the orchestra and the audience. People, the people in the audience are inspired," Kahn said.
The Great Falls Symphony performance of "Romantic Journey" begins at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 14, in the Mansfield Theater. Kahn will host a free pre-concert talk in the theater at 6:30 p.m.
