Kevin Rhodes

Conductor

Conductor Kevin Rhodes works for over 25 years with credits including La Scala of Milan, The Vienna State Opera, The Paris Opera, The Rome Opera, The Berlin State Opera, The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, The Dutch National Ballet, The Korean National Ballet, The Slovenian National Opera and Ballet, The Deutsche Oper am Rhein, and many others. With the start of the 2022-2023 season, he takes up the position as Chief Conductor of the Slovak National Opera and Ballet in Bratislava. Kevin Rhodes was appointed Principal Ballet Conductor at the Vienna State Opera by director Renato Zanella in the mid 90s, which led to a 25-year relationship with that storied house and its orchestra. It was first in Vienna that he became recognized as a specialist for the classical productions of Rudolf Nureyev. Brigitte Lefévre brought him to the Paris Opera Ballet for twelve seasons at the suggestion of General Intendant Gerard Mortier. He led the company in dozens of productions and international tours to Japan and Australia. It was at Mortier’s Ruhrtriennale Festival that Rhodes led dance icon Pina Bausch’s staging of Rite of Spring and first came to Mortier’s attention. Rhodes debuted at Teatro alla Scala in 2001 with a production featuring Diana Vishneva and Roberto Bolle beginning a relationship that continues to this day with many productions and DVDs resulting from the partnership. In recent years both in Vienna and Milan, Kevin Rhodes has developed a particularly fruitful artistic relationship with Manuel Legris including many productions in both houses. Kevin Rhodes also led Legris’ much lauded production of Sylvia both at its Vienna and Milan premieres including streaming productions of both as a co-production between the two houses. Rhodes was born in Evansville, Indiana in the United States and studied conducting at the University of Illinois with Paul Vermel and Michigan State University with Leon Gregorian. He has degrees from both institutions as well as being the recipient of an honorary Doctorate from Bay Path University.

(Information as of 2023)