Teddy Abrams conducts the Louisville Orchestra in 2019.

After 10 years as musical director for the Britt Festival Orchestra, Teddy Abrams has decided it’s time to say goodbye.

“It’s a very difficult decision. Logically, I know it’s the right decision, but it’s still emotionally incredibly difficult,” he said in an interview with the Rogue Valley Times.

Abrams will finish out one last season before walking away. The first BFO concert in Jacksonville is June 15, and the season’s closing night is July 1. 

Abrams described building deep bonds with both his fellow musicians and concertgoers throughout the years. 

“The real joy of Britt is a community of people who love that festival. We build connections with people that come every year. It feels like a family. Britt Hill promotes that sense of closeness, an intimacy between the orchestra and the audience that you don’t get anywhere else,” he said.

Every year, Abrams flies in from his job as music director for the Louisville Orchestra for three packed weeks of concerts in Southern Oregon — as do musicians from around the country — for a festival that he describes as “all-star.”

“It’s home away from home for them, for me. I have stayed with the same family every year since I started,” he said.

He expressed gratitude and fondness for the festival as an influence in his career — or as he preferred to call it, his journey as a musician. 

“I was 25 when I started. I grew up with Britt. It shaped me. That’s a really important formative age, especially for a conductor. Most conductors mature later. I just turned 36,” he said.

Asked what he’s most proud of in his 10-year tenure at the festival, Abrams remembered when the orchestra brought their instruments up to the Crater Lake rim to play the piece “Natural History” in its world premiere. The moment was turned into a documentary by Public Broadcasting Service.

“That was one of the most transformative, affirming moments in music I’ve ever experienced,” he said.

The decision to walk away from Britt comes from home. The Louisville Orchestra is working on creating a touring program to bridge the divide between urban and rural Kentucky. It has three full-time composers creating original music, he said, and the orchestra is rising to an ambitious mission to create an orchestra that functions as a public service.

Abrams is also writing a musical about Louisville native Muhammad Ali that is scheduled to debut in 2024.

“I’ve seen this happen too many times — conductors trying to juggle too many jobs, full-time jobs,” he said.

When a conductor is doing too much, some of his work starts to suffer. Abrams said he didn’t want to do Britt that kind of disservice, leading him to the difficult choice of giving up his position.

He also believes that after a decade of leadership, it’s time for someone else to step in and bring their creative vision for the Britt Festival Orchestra.

“Britt is committed to holding a national search for our next BFO Music Director,” said Britt Music & Arts Festival President and CEO Abby McKee in a press release. “Whoever steps up to the podium next will have big shoes to fill, so for now, we are focusing on celebrating Teddy Abrams. There will be plenty of time to share more about what happens next.”