Robert Moody

Music Director

 

Robert Moody has had the honor of serving as Music Director for the Winston-Salem Symphony (North Carolina) since 2005, Artistic Director for Arizona Musicfest since 2007, and Music Director for the Portland Symphony Orchestra (Maine), since 2008.

 

This year marks the 5th anniversary of Maestro Moody's tenure with the Winston-Salem Symphony. He is the fourth Music Director in the orchestra's 63 year history. Unprecedented success has been the hallmark of this tenure, including the creation of Pops, "Kicked-Back Classics," Discovery, Side-by-Side, and Handel's Messiah concert series. Under his tenure the orchestra has also taken the Winston-Salem Youth Orchestras program completely under its umbrella, hired a full-time Assistant Conductor, and performed a first ever joint Classics concert with the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra. These performances of R. Strauss' Ein Heldenleben were strongly praised by critics, audience, and orchestra alike. The WSS is quickly becoming one of the real "gem" regional orchestras in the country; which led the League of American Orchestras' immediate past President Henry Fogel to pronounce the Winston-Salem Symphony "one of the very healthiest orchestras" he has visited in his three-year tenure leading the L.A.O. (As of this writing, WSS has also completed six successive seasons "in the black" financially.)

 

The Portland Symphony announced on 30 May 2007 the appointment of Robert Moody as Music Director/Conductor starting with the 2008/2009 season. Moody was the unanimous choice for the position, and has just completed an electrifying first season which ended with the great Bartok Concerto for Orchestra.

 

Additionally, Moody serves as Artistic Director of Arizona Musicfest, the nation's premiere winter destination music festival, held in north Scottsdale, Carefee, Cave-Creek, and through the Arizona Desert Foothills region. The Musicfest Festival Orchestra consists of members of some of the nation's top orchestras (Chicago, Detroit, National Symphonies, The Cleveland and Metropolitan Opera Orchestras, and many more). Maestro Moody leads this orchestra in four orchestral concert programs each February. Highlights of the 2009 season included performances of Brahms Symphony No. 1, Vaughan Williams Dona Nobis Pacem with the AZMusicfest Festival Chorus, and Dvorak Cello Concerto with Lynne Harrell.

 

Moody served as Associate, then Resident Conductor of The Phoenix Symphony (AZ) from 1998 through 2006. There he conducted a wide variety of concerts, including Classics, Chamber, Pops, Family, Handel's Messiah, and New Year's Eve gala. His casual manner and ability to speak with ease from the podium helped novices and enthusiasts alike gain a greater appreciation for orchestral music. Moody also founded The Phoenix Symphony Chorus, and for seven years was Music Director of the Phoenix Symphony Youth Orchestra.

 

Prior to Phoenix, Maestro Moody served as Associate Conductor for the Evansville (IN) Philharmonic Orchestra, Music Director (and founder) of the Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, conductor for the Interschool Orchestras of New York (in Manhattan), and apprentice conductor for the Landestheater Opera House in Linz, Austria.

 

Born and raised in Greenville, SC, Moody took up the cello in the public school system (Duncan Chapel Elementary) in the 4th grade. His voice and cello studies throughout high school (including three years of study at the Greenville County Fine Arts Center - one of the first public high schools for the arts in the nation) took him to Furman University, where he received a Bachelor's Degree in Church Music, with performing emphasis in both voice and cello. He then completed his Master of Music Degree in Conducting at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where he studied with Donald Neuen.

 

Moody is a frequent guest conductor with orchestras across the United States. In 2009 he completed a ten-year tenure as head of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic's "Discovery" concert series. Guest conducting appearances include the symphony orchestras of Houston, Indianapolis, Detroit, Seattle, Memphis, Ft. Worth, Virginia, San Antonio, Buffalo, Charleston, Naples, Anchorage, and many more. Summer festival appearances include Santa Fe Opera, Spoleto Festival USA, Brevard Music Center, Eastern Music Festival, PortOpera, and Skaneateles Festival.

 

Maestro Moody has conducted many of the worlds top classical and pops artists in concert. These included: Yo Yo Ma, Itzakh Perlman, Renée Fleming, Van Cliburn, Andre Watts, Nadja Solerno-Sonnenberg, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Robert McDuffie, Lynne Harrell, The Canadian Brass, Doc Severinson, Celine Dion, The Manhattan Transfer, Martin Short, Chris Botti, Chris Thiele, and many more.

 

A Champion of new music, Moody is proud to have played an instrumental role in the commissioning and premiere performances of several important new works for orchestra. These include several works of composer Mason Bates (Free Variations for Orchestra, Ode, Rusty Air in Carolina, and a new work to be premiered on AZ Musicfest's 20th anniversary season in 2011), and also the Sabar concerto for African Drum Ensemble and Orchestra, composed by James DeMars.

 

Moody's work can also be heard on three compact disc recordings: he collaborated with the Canadian Brass for their "Bach" and "Legends" CDs. And he is also the conductor for the CD "4th World," highlighting the music of Native American recording artist R. Carlos Nakai (available on the Canyon Record label.)

 

A strong believer in community growth and enrichment, Moody is a member of the Rotary Club of Winston-Salem, NC, and serves on the boards of the NW North Carolina YMCA, and AIDs Care Services of Forsyth County.

 

When not making music, one is most likely to find Robert Moody snow-skiing, hiking, running, or involved in other outdoor activities. He was a founding member of The Phoenix Symphony Running Club, completed his first marathon in 2004, and participates annually in both the "Mistletoe Half Marathon" in NC and the "Beach to Beacon" 10K in Maine.