The Southern Tier Symphony has invited guest conductor Benjamin Grow to launch its 2016-17 season with area concerts on Saturday and Sunday.

Grow is one of three candidates asked to lead the group this season as they are considered for the permanent position of musical director and conductor.

“A search committee was formed and has met several times over the past year,” said Kim Whitney, executive director and widow of symphony founder John Whitney.

The group and board of directors have been reviewing applications and asking follow-up questions.

“We narrowed the field to six and had Skype interviews with them, then invited three candidates to conduct concerts this season,” Whitney said.

Grow will hold a pre-concert lecture at 6:45 p.m. Saturday in a classroom near the Olean (N.Y.) High School auditorium, with the concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, the lecture will be at 2:15 p.m. in Blaisdell Hall at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, with the concert at 3 p.m.

Dr. Daniel Bassin will conduct March 11 and 12, while Nicholas DelBello is scheduled for May 6 and 7. Whitney said the candidates have a variety of skills and backgrounds.

“But they’re all very knowledgeable about music, music history, education and conducting,” she said. “They’ll each bring a unique voice to the podium.”

Grow, who now lives in New York City, spent the past week in the area, beginning with a rehearsal at Yorkshire, since several symphony members come from various parts of the state and include professional musicians, music educators and young musicians. He is no stranger to the Twin Tiers.

“I’ve been coming here since I was a twinkle in my mother’s eye,” Grow said. “My dad (Dan Grow) grew up in Bradford, and our family would gather there when our grandparents were alive.”

“I have fond childhood memories and have been to the state parks in the area. Family ties and friends keep calling me back.”

As a youth growing up in State College, he wanted to play violin or piano, but his father, a trumpet player, coaxed him toward the cornet, a brass instrument similar to the trumpet.

“Music was always playing in our household, so because of my parents’ influence, I picked up a love and appreciation for it early,” Grow said.

By high school, he was traveling to Pittsburgh to take lessons and had learned to play the piano. He wanted to attend a conservatory, but his parents, both employed at Penn State University, encouraged a broader education.

“So I picked Rice University in Houston that had a very focused orchestra program,” he said.

He later obtained a master’s degree in music at the Manhattan School of Music.

Grow has performed and conducted with groups ranging from ensembles to full orchestras at venues running the gamut from churches to concert halls and even Yale University.

His program for this weekend is called, “Father of the Symphony — Papa Haydn Into the 20th Century.” It will feature Haydn’s Symphony 104, Prokofiev’s Symphony 1 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.

“Haydn was lovingly called ‘Papa’ by his younger contemporaries, and he was just a juggernaut of creative works,” Grow said.

During the pre-concert lecture, Grow will share the history of the composers and how they were connected.

“Prokofiev wrote his first symphony after studying the symphonies of Haydn and wanted to create a piece that reflected his inspiration, yet have a modern touch. There are lots of surprises in these pieces with lighthearted, funny and dramatic moments that will really take you on a journey,” he said.

Grow is already enjoying the experience of meeting symphony members and people in the community and dining at area restaurants.

“I’ll just focus on what I’m good at and love, which is music and the people who make it with me,” he said. “I think if I can do that, it will be the most honest representation of who I am as a musician, and the rest is up to fate.”

Whitney said this season will be special to her and likely to others who knew her husband.

“It’s bittersweet in that it closes a chapter of John’s involvement with the orchestra,” she said. “At the same time it’s a wonderful continuation of his vision, to help this orchestra grow, by inviting new conductor candidates and see what we can do together to take this to the next level and continue his legacy.”