Originally published September 2011. His friends call him Ludo. The casual introduction by the Seattle Symphony staff got more than a few laughs back in January, as a concert hall full of subscribers imagined addressing their new conductor Ludovic Morlot like he was a golf buddy. What next, happy hour with the maestro?

Perhaps. After a quarter century under the musical direction of Gerard Schwarz, a taskmaster who often commanded the symphony as a general would an army, the orchestra has decided to rebrand itself with an affable 37-year-old Frenchman as its poster boy. He is our answer to the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s firebrand at the baton, 30-year-old Gustavo Dudamel, who since 2009 has re-energized the Phil with his crazy afro and singular, boyish exuberance for bringing music to the people.

The same can be said of Morlot, who speaks so lovingly of classical music, you can practically hear a flute trill when he opens his mouth. “Going to a concert isn’t an intellectual experience. It’s an emotional journey,” he said. Morlot’s journey with the SSO starts officially this Saturday with a gala and opening night concert that winks at his French roots (Gershwin’s An American in Paris, Ravel’s Bolero ), gives the symphony’s former lead cellist Joshua Roman a prominent solo (Gulda’s Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra), and metaphorically cracks a champagne bottle on his tenure (Beethoven’s Consecration of the House Overture).

Read more about Morlot—from his childhood in Lyon to his plans for our symphony—in our Fall Arts Preview.