BSO music director Jonathon Heyward and his wife welcome baby girl

The newborn daughter of the BSO music director already has a rich musical heritage to claim.

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra music director Jonathon Heyward has added a challenging and rewarding new role to his repertoire  — fatherhood.

Heyward, 31, revealed Wednesday on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, that he and his wife, Millie Aylward, last week became the parents of a little girl named Ottilie.

“We have been smitten ever since,” Heyward wrote. “Unbelievably proud of my amazing @millieaylward1 and so excited for our life now as a family of 3.”

Tiny fingers, tiny toes, and hearts overflowing.
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Little Ottilie was born last week and we have been smitten ever since. Unbelievably proud of my amazing @millieaylward1 and so excited for our life now as a family of 3 pic.twitter.com/NaeSHzEptu

— Jonathon Heyward (@Jheyward843) May 15, 2024

Among those sending best wishes was Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, who wrote, “Congratulations to the new musical note in your family’s orchestra.”

Miller’s words just might be prescient; the newborn already has a rich musical heritage to claim. Not only did her father, Heyward, become the BSO’s music director last fall, he also was an accomplished student cellist. The baby’s mother, Aylward, studied clarinet at the graduate conservatory in London where she and Heyward met, and is an aspiring opera singer.

Aylward is British, and Ottilie is a name that is especially popular for baby girls born on the other side of the Atlantic. According to the website The Bump, “Ottilie” means “prosperity” and “riches.” It is a form of “Odile” and is derived from the Germanic name “Auda.”