Celebrating his 20th anniversary seasons as Music Director of Massachusetts’ Springfield Symphony Orchestra and Michigan’s Traverse Symphony Orchestra, KEVIN RHODES enjoys an exceptionally varied international career, leading concert, opera and ballet performances with over 50 orchestras in 16 countries. For a tenth season, he also continues as Principal Conductor of the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston.
In addition to dozens of performances with his orchestras in Boston, Springfield and Traverse City, Kevin Rhodes’ current season includes his returns to Austria’s Weiner Staatsballett and Italy’s La Scala Ballet, leading productions of Delibes’ Sylvia with both companies, and The Norwegian National Ballet. Of special note is his again conducting the Weiner Staatsballett’s season-concluding Nureyev Gala, celebrating the famed dancer and choreographer’s life and artistry with soloists and guests from around the world. Mr. Rhodes also makes his debut with the Ballet of Die Theater Chemnitz in Germany.
Kevin Rhodes has been a presence in the major musical capitals of Europe for over two decades, leading major productions at the Paris Opera, Vienna State Opera, Berlin State Opera, Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, Dutch National Ballet, The Norwegian National Ballet, Verona Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet. In 2019, his career expanded geographically with an important debut with Seoul’s Korean National Ballet, leading a production of Renato Zanella’s Mata Hari. His work with many of these illustrious artistic organizations has been seen and heard throughout Europe via television appearances, around the globe with the introduction of cinema showings and on DVD recordings. In the United States, he has conducted the symphony orchestras of Canton, Delaware, Hartford, Houston, Jacksonville, Queens, Santa Fe, Stamford, Tacoma and West Virginia, as well as the New York City Ballet.
Starting his European career as a house conductor at Switzerland’s Basel Stadttheater, Kevin Rhodes subsequently moved to Germany’s Deutsche Oper am Rhein as a First Kappelmeister in which capacity he led hundreds of performances of the operatic repertoire, from Die Zauberflöte to Der Rosenkavalier, while simultaneously serving as the principal ballet conductor of the Vienna State Opera. During his 10 years in Europe, he led repertoire ranging from the operas of, among many others, Strauss, Verdi, Puccini, Massenet, Mozart and Smetana to the major ballets of Prokofiev, Bartók, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky.
In 2001, Kevin Rhodes returned to his native United States to accept the music directorships of both the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and the Traverse Symphony Orchestra, devoting himself to the artistic and organizational enhancement of the two ensembles, while closely attending to their numerous educational and community outreach activities. Under his leadership, these orchestras and their audiences have experienced tremendous growth and enthusiasm about classical music. With the start of the 2010-2011 season, Mr. Rhodes also accepted the reins of Principal Conductor of the Pro Arts Chamber Orchestra of Boston, invigorating the ensemble with his trademark energy.
Kevin Rhodes began his professional conducting career at the age of 16 in his hometown of Evansville, Indiana. He received his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Michigan State University, where he studied with Leon Gregorian, subsequently earning his Master of Music in Orchestra Conducting from the University of Illinois under the tutelage of Paul Vermel.
Guest Conducting
Vienna State Opera, Vienna, Austria 1995-2019
Norwegian National Ballet, Oslo, Norway 2017, 2018
Stuttgart Ballet, Stuttgart, Germany 2016, 2017
Paris Opera, Paris, France 2005-2016
Tokyo Philharmonic, Tokyo, Japan 2015
Stamford Symphony Orchestra, Stamford, CT 2015
New Tokyo City Philharmonic, Tokyo, Japan 2014
Santa Fe Symphony, Santa Fe, New Mexico 2014
Tacoma Symphony Orchestra, Tacoma, WA 2013
Windsor Symphony Orchestra, Windsor, ON 2012
Dutch National Ballet, (Het National Ballet) Holland Symfonia, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2010
National Performing Arts Center Orchestra, Bejing, China, 2010
La Scala, Milan, Italy, 2010, 2006-2007, 2005, 2003, 2001
Hartford Symphony Orchestra, 2010
Verona Opera, Verona, Italy, 2006-2007
Houston Symphony, Houston, Texas, 2007
Queens Symphony Orchestra, Queens, New York, 2006
Principal Conductor Chamber Orchestra, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2006, 2008
Symphony Orchestra Basel, Basel, Switzerland, 2006
Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Duesseldorf, Germany, 2005
Rurhgebiet Festival, Bochum, Germany, 2004
Canton Symphony Orchestra, Canton, Ohio, 2003
Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Wilmington, Deleware, 2003
Berlin State Opera, Berlin, Germany, 1999, 2000
Teato Real, Madrid, Spain, 2000
Zagreb Philharmonic, Zagreb, Croatia, 2000
Symphony Orchester Basel, Basel, Switzerland, 1999,2002
Wuertembuergisches Staatstheater, Stuttgart, Germany, 1998
Hessisches Staatstheater, Wiesbaden,Germany, 1996, 1997, 1998
Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville, Florida, 1997
Suedwestfaellisches Philharmonie, Germany, 1996, 1998, 2000
Positions Held
Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Springfield, Massachusetts Music Director, 2001-present
Traverse Symphony Orchestra, Traverse City, Michigan Music Director, 2001-present
Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, Boston, Massachusetts, Principal Conductor, 2010-present
Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Duesseldorf/Duisburg, Germany, Kappelmeister, 1996-2001
Stadttheater Basel, Basel, Switzerland, Kappelmeister, 1991-1996
Basel Chamber Symphony, Basel, Switzerland, Music Director, 1995-2001
Swiss Chamber Philharmonic, Zurich, Switzerland, Music Director, 1999-2001
Basel Festival Orchestra, Basel, Swizterland, Principal Guest Conductor, 1997-2001
Albuquerque Civic Light Opera, Albuquerque, NM, Music Director, 1989-1991
Education
Michigan State University – East Lansing, Michigan Bachelor Degree – Piano Performance 1987
University of Illinois – Urbana, Illinois Master Degree – Orchestral Conducting 1989
Aspen Music Festival – Aspen, Colorado Conducting Seminar 1986, 1987
