Born in Sierra Leone and raised on Kaua'i and O'ahu, Magnussen was for the past seven years the Artist-in-Residence at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study. His compositions have been performed by organizations including American Composers Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke's, New York Virtuoso Singers, and the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra, and his talent has been recognized by organizations such as the Library of Congress, National Endowment for the Arts, and Meet the Composer.

Magnussen graduated from Punahou School and holds doctoral and masters degrees from The Juilliard School and degrees from Conservatoire Nationale Supérieur de Musique de Paris and Cornell University.

"It's so gratifying to be able to come back home, where my roots are, and to make a difference," Magnussen said in a statement. "To be able to reach out into the communities and speak the language of music with them is a wonderful gift. Our symphony musicians are world-class, and I'm honored to be able to work with them in promoting a long-term love of music and music-making."

Magnussen will work with the Symphony to fulfill its commitment to reach the statewide community through education programs. After state funding for the Symphony's education program was reduced in 1995, education activities were limited to Oahu audiences. In May, twith a grant from the Hawaii Department of Human Services, the Symphony was able to travel to the Big Island and reach over 3,000 youth in their schools, as well as offer their families a free community concert.

More neighbor island outreach programs are being planned.

"Music education is at the core of the Symphony's mission," said Tom Gulick, executive director of the Symphony. "Jon's appointment as director of education demonstrates that value clearly. Jon is a talented musician and composer and we are honored to have him join our Symphony 'ohana. He brings a tremendous wealth of experience with him and we are excited to expand our education outreach under his care."