In 1985, Spano left Curtis to take his first professional position, director of orchestral activities at Bowling Green State University.
[10][13] After leaving this post in 1993, he has been a regular guest conductor with the Boston Symphony and a teacher at the Tanglewood Music Center in the summertime.
[5] Over the next few years, despite multiple financial crises,[3][14][15] Spano, the orchestra, and executive director Joseph Horowitz developed programs organized around intellectual, dramatic, or historical themes, with occasional incorporation of visual elements.
[1][2] In 2002, Spano announced his intention to step down from the Brooklyn post at the end of the 2003–2004 season, remaining as an advisor, and then principal guest conductor, until 2007.
[21] Spano and the ASO have regularly recorded for Telarc,[9] and more recently for Deutsche Grammophon, including compositions from the "Atlanta School of Composers".
[22] Spano's work in opera has included conducting Seattle in cycles of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, in 2005 and in 2009.
[24] In February 2021, the FWSO announced the appointment of Spano as its next music director, effective with the 2022–2023 season, with an initial contract of three years.
[11][27] He has also received honorary degrees from Bowling Green State University and the Curtis Institute of Music, and his recordings have won several Grammy Awards (see below).