Kevin Rhodes

  American conductor Kevin Rhodes has had a career marked by versatility and variety. His work extends from the major opera houses of Europe to the orchestral world of the U.S. He has collaborated with such diverse artists as Andre Watts, Nadja Solerno-Sonnenberg, Peter Serkin and Lorin Hollander in the classical arena while working with pops favorites such as Art Garfunkel and
the Kingston Trio.

Since becoming Music Director of the Springfield Symphony in 2001, he has
led the orchestra to a new level of artistic excellence, with high audience acclaim, rave reviews, and sellout houses. The Springfield Symphony, long the acknowledged cultural gem of the region, has succeeded in igniting a new found enthusiasm for and love of classical music in the Pioneer Valley under Maestro Rhodes’ leadership.

This season marks his tenth as Music Director of the Springfield Symphony
Orchestra. He assumed the post in 2001 after working exclusively, for 10 years, in Europe where he led many different orchestras, including the Vienna State Opera Orchestra (the Vienna Philharmonic), the Berlin Staatskappelle, the Zagreb Philharmonic, the Düsseldorf Symphony, the Duisburg Philharmonic, the Swiss Chamber Philharmonic, the Symphony Orchestra of Madrid, the Basel Symphony Orchestra and many others. Recognized as "a highly accomplished conductor" by Opernwelt, Mr. Rhodes' repertoire has ranged from the operas of Richard Strauss, Verdi, Puccini, Massanet, Mozart, Smetena and many others to the major ballets of Prokofiev, Bartok and Tchaikovsky.
Since the beginning of the 2001 season, Rhodes has also served as Music Director of the Traverse Symphony Orchestra in Michigan, developing that ensemble into one of the best in the state. With the start of the 2010-2011 season he will take the reigns as Music Director of the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra in Cambridge, MA.

Since returning to the U.S., Kevin Rhodes has maintained an active guest conducting schedule in Europe, making his debuts at the Paris Opera, La Scala, the Verona Opera, the Dutch National Ballet and with the Naples Ballet during that time. He performs regularly with those companies in addition to his duties on this side of the ocean. He toured Australia with the Paris Ballet in 2009 and in the fall of 2010 will join the Dutch National Ballet on tour in China. Also active as a guest conductor in the U.S., Maestro Rhodes has led the Houston Symphony, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, the Delaware Symphony, the Canton Symphony, the Jacksonville Symphony and the Queens Symphony in addition to returning to his undergraduate alma mater, Michigan State University as a visiting artist.

Kevin Rhodes began his professional conducting career at the age of 16 in his
hometown of Evansville, Indiana. He received his B.M. in Piano Performance from Michigan State University where he studied conducting with Maestro Leon
Gregorian, and earned his M.M. in Orchestral Conducting at the University of
Illinois under the tutelage of Paul Vermel.