Raymond Harvey (Music Director of the Moores Opera Center) was born in New York City, and received his MM in choral conducting from Oberlin College and his DMA in orchestral conducting from Yale University. He served as Music Director of the Kalamazoo Symphony (MI) for 18 years. Prior to that, Dr. Harvey held similar positions with the Fresno Philharmonic (CA), Springfield Symphony (MA), and El Paso Opera (TX). He has appeared as guest conductor with more than 90 orchestras, including those of Philadelphia, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Buffalo, Detroit, and Minnesota, as well as the New York Philharmonic's Young People's Concerts and the Boston Pops. Abroad he has conducted the Maggio Musicale Orchestra (Italy), Pusan Symphony (South Korea), and National Symphony Orchestra (Costa Rica). He regularly performs as a pianist, both in chamber music and as pianist/conductor in works of Gershwin, Mozart, and Rachmaninoff. At the Moores School of Music, Dr. Harvey prepares and conducts three fully-staged operas per season, and offers private lessons for DMA conducting students, concentrating on opera performance. He serves as a member of the Graduate Studies Committee.