Is Classical Music Irrelevant? with Conductor James Meena
TOPIC: Is Classical Music Irrelevant?
SPEAKER: James Meena, Conductor; Founder & President, Charlotte Lyric Theatre
In this presentation, we posit that the preponderance of entertainment, immediate gratification on all levels, shortened attention spans have made classical music irrelevant to modern society.
BIOGRAPHY
Maestro James Meena is a musical entrepreneur. His 50year career in classical music has touched the world of the symphony orchestra, ballet, musical theater and opera.
Mo. Meena consistently earns critical acclaim for his artistic vision and dynamic presence on the podium. His guest conducting engagements have included the Washington Opera, the Pittsburgh Opera, L’Opera de Montreal, Michigan Opera Theater, Festivale Puccini Torre del Lago, Teatro del Giglio Lucca, Teatro Pavarotti Modena, Teatro Ravenna, Teatro Sociale Rovigo, the Arizona Opera, Edmonton Opera, the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Seoul, South Korea, the National Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of China, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Cairo Philharmonic in Egypt, the Grand Rapids Symphony, the Memphis Symphony, the Toledo Symphony, the Orchestra of the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Sicily and the Orchestra Regionale Toscana in Florence, Italy. Recently, he led performances of Puccini’s Turandot in the historic Teatro Antica in Taromina Sicily and the Teatro Greco in Siracusa.
For more than a decade he was Resident Conductor of the Toledo Symphony, General Director of Toledo Opera and conductor for the Cleveland/San Jose Ballet. He concluded a 25-year tenure as General Director & Principal Conductor of Opera Carolina in Charlotte in May 2025, after which he founded the new Charlotte Lyric Theatre, an advanced mentorship program for emerging artists. Mo. Meena has conducted legendary singers James McCracken, Renee Fleming, Denyce Graves, Diana Soviero, Mignon Dunn, Marilyn Horne, Sherril Milnes, Jerome Hines, Carl Tanner, Jerry Hadley and Marcello Giordani.
