For the first eight years of Teddy Abrams’ time in Louisville, an oft-covered element of his wunderkind charm was the fact that he did not have a driver’s license. Most of his duties as director of the Louisville Orchestra were within biking distance of his NuLu neighborhood home, and for those that weren’t, he hitched rides. Fans smitten with the image of the hard-pedaling maestro may perhaps be momentarily disheartened to learn that the 37-year-old Abrams now has both a license and a car.
Yet the development has been a win for what already was a deep and dynamic relationship between Abrams and his adopted home. Owning a car—which is electric—has enabled him to explore new places and draw even more inspiration from the state that has already served as the creative fuel for many of his projects and initiatives.
“I will say that, as a Kentuckian, my life has changed, generally for the better,” he said of getting his license and a car. “It’s funny how getting a license in Kentucky made me see how small my own local world was. What I could actually see and experience about Louisville, Kentucky, was so limited by the places I could get to, and that has just exploded. I feel like I’m getting to know the whole world in a new way … I feel like a 16-year-old, basically.”
Abrams moved to town in August 2014 from Detroit, where he had been the assistant conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. This was pre-driver’s license, so he asked a Michigan friend to drive him down to his new life in Kentucky and keep him company during the first few days of the moving process. On their second day in town, Abrams and the friend went out for lunch at Gralehaus on Baxter Avenue. They sat outside in the soft sun, ate grits, and watched the people whom Abrams would aim to serve through his music.
“I remember thinking, ‘You know what? This is all going to work out … This is going to be OK,’ ” he said. “I know that’s a ridiculous thing, but it was such a great lunch—it was the right setting; it was a beautiful day; and I was just thinking to myself, ‘Yeah, I made a good choice.’ ”
A decade later, he agrees with his younger self. Most major directors do not live in the city of the orchestras they head, and Louisville does not have the same glossy sheen as New York or Los Angeles, yet Abrams opted to build his life there. In doing so, he has come to understand and authentically appreciate the stories and traditions that he now weaves into his work.
“One of the things I just love about this place is that there’s something here that keeps generating whatever it is—stories, music, raw materials—that people need and want and crave,” he said. “There’s something both romantic and sometimes heartbreaking about that. Even though I wasn’t born here, I identify now as a Kentuckian. I want to be a part of that story and wherever that’s going to go next, because I think it’s our time to represent that story, to take hold of it and not let others steer it.”
Abrams seems to operate at three levels: national, statewide and hyper-local. He moves seamlessly among the three, always with the same amount of attention and care. Beyond state lines, he is working to get his Muhammad Ali-inspired musical ready for its 2025 Broadway premiere. He occasionally guest directs for other cities’ orchestras and was profiled by The New York Times in August 2023. Last February, he won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for The American Project. He brings big names to Kentucky to collaborate, such as legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who joined the orchestra for a special performance inside Mammoth Cave.
“[Abrams] created a very unique experience that was all about Kentucky, Kentucky’s history and where Kentucky is now in some ways,” Louisville Orchestra concertmaster Gabriel Lefkowitz said of the Mammoth Cave experience. “That’s what it’s all about—telling important stories and bringing people together—and it absolutely defied every expectation of what an orchestra concert and what music can be.”
On the statewide level, “In Harmony—the Commonwealth Tour” has proven to be a means of getting to know different communities beyond Jefferson County. To date, “In Harmony” has put on 127 events in 38 counties. Beginning in November 2022, the landmark tour has reached more than 27,000 Kentuckians and featured guest musicians Michael Cleveland and his band Flamekeeper, mandolinist and singer/songwriter Chris Thile, and Richmond native and violinist Tessa Lark. The tour is slated continue into 2026.
Whenever possible during the tour, Abrams and the orchestra arrive in town early to forge an authentic relationship with a community so that, when it is time to take the stage, there is a clear and open channel for connection. The 2023 trip to Harlan was particularly influential. Abrams was struck by the small town’s deep history, landscape and hospitality. He spent several days eating at local restaurants and talking with local residents, listening and learning. On the night of the performance, the town closed down, and the high school auditorium was packed. A party was thrown in appreciation of the orchestra, and Abrams was gifted with a jar of real moonshine.
“It was everything I kind of dream this program would be,” he said of the trip to Harlan.
Abrams also takes on lesser-seen, lesser-known musical initiatives. He and Thile wrote music together that they performed at the Mayfield Youth Detention Center in Western Kentucky. At home in Louisville, he developed a project called “Once Upon an Orchestra,” for which he takes orchestra ensembles to play in the Louisville Free Public Library branches. The free concerts aim to provide “storytelling through music.” They feature original compositions and take place at every branch in the LFPL system.
“That means that the orchestra is showing up in every single neighborhood in town,” Abrams said. “This is obviously designed for families—multi-generational families. We want grandparents and parents and kids all coming together to these events, and that’s exactly what’s happening.”
Lefkowitz, who has served as concertmaster for the Louisville Orchestra since 2016, said Abrams is passionate about the use of non-traditional venues in making music for communities
“He’s utilized the Louisville Orchestra and spearheaded initiatives whereby small ensembles from the orchestra can go to schools and libraries, hospitals and retirement communities, and perform intimate performances that aren’t just music but feature pretty heavy interaction and participation from the audience,” he said. “This has a tremendous impact on young people who love music and now get to kind of see it up close, participate in it, and feel the power of the arts to do good in the world. To make change, affect the way we feel, and bring us together.”
Abrams is at home in Louisville. Many elements of his routine have remained the same over his 10 years there. He still lives in the same NuLu house. He still wakes early to read a few pages of fiction and arrive at Quills Coffee by 6:30 a.m. He still has the famed bicycle and still rides it to rehearsals. But there has been plenty of change, too. A Grammy is displayed at the office. He is recognized more often. His projects are growing in scope and ambition. At home, the exterior of his garage now bears an original mural that he commissioned from local artist Brianna Harlan in 2021, and inside the garage, there is a now a car. He is proud of what the Louisville Orchestra has accomplished over the last decade but feels there is still work to be done. A city’s orchestra should serve the people, he said, and that requires a daily prioritization of creativity over comfort.
“If we stay that course,” he said, “we’ll see some of the most dedicated and innovative work in making an institution belong to everybody.”
For more about the Louisville Orchestra, including upcoming concerts and the In Harmony Tour, go to louisvilleorchestra.org.