The Portland Symphony Orchestra will introduce 40-year-old Robert A. Moody as its new music director tonight.

Moody will begin a three-year term beginning with the 2008-09 season, though he will spend considerable time in Portland during the upcoming concert season, which begins in the fall.

Moody appeared with the PSO twice in 2006, first as a guest conductor for a Pops concert in January and then for a Tuesday classical concert in November.

"The chemistry just seemed right," he said in an interview at Merrill Auditorium on Wednesday. "We had great chemistry with the orchestra first and foremost, but also great chemistry with the audience, the staff and the community."

Moody succeeds Toshiyuki Shimada, who left the PSO in 2006 after a 20-year tenure.

Moody also serves as music director of the Winston-Salem Symphony, a position he will retain. He will maintain two homes -- one in North Carolina and another in Maine -- and juggle the duties of both orchestras.

Reached Wednesday by e-mail, Shimada wished Moody well.

"It is a happy occasion for the PSO," Shimada said. "(Moody) is a wonderful musician and a nice person."