News & Events
Maestro Raymond Harvey to conduct Moores operas
New Moores Opera Center music director joins Moores School of Music as clinical faculty member
The Moores School of Music kicks off its 2014-2015 opera season with a new music director for its Moores Opera Center – Raymond Harvey.
“Raymond Harvey is a wonderful hire for us,” said Moores School of Music Director Andrew Davis. “He has extensive experience with a number of top orchestras and top opera companies and is very skilled in training singers and students. He will be a valuable addition to the Moores Opera Center, working alongside Buck Ross, our chief producer and stage director."
As music director, Maestro Harvey will prepare all of the music for the Moores opera productions and serve as chief conductor during the performances.
He comes to the University of Houston faculty from the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Symphony Orchestra, where he has served as music director for 15 seasons. In April, the KSO board renewed his contract to lead the symphony for four more seasons.
Dr. Harvey also has held the top post at the Springfield Symphony in Massachusetts, the Fresno Philharmonic in California and El Paso Opera in Texas.
Over his 35 year career, Dr. Harvey has appeared as guest conductor with many of the leading orchestras in the United States, including those of Philadelphia, Atlanta, Buffalo, Detroit, Indianapolis, Minnesota, New Orleans, Philadelphia and St. Louis.
His guest conducting engagements also include the Boston Pops, the New York Philharmonic’s Young People’s Concerts, Pusan Symphony of South Korea, the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, and the Maggio Musicale Orchestra of Florence, Italy.
Maestro Harvey’s extensive opera repertoire encompasses the classics including the best known works by Mozart, Puccini, and Verdi, as well as the world premiere of Frank Lewin’s Burning Bright by the Yale University Opera.
Dr. Harvey holds bachelor and master degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Yale School of Music.
Highly regarded as a teacher, Maestro Harvey devotes a portion of his summers to the Conductors Institute at Bard College in New York.
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