Biography 2008-2009 Season

            Currently in his sixth season as Music Director of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, ANDRÉ RAPHEL SMITH has established a distinguished career through innovative programming, a strong commitment to American music and performances acclaimed by audiences and critics alike. During the current season, he leads the WSO and group Time for Three in the Wheeling premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s Concerto 4-3, a work co-commissioned with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

            André Raphel Smith served as an assistant conductor to Kurt Masur at the New York Philharmonic from 2000 to 2002. He was Assistant Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra for six years, working closely with Wolfgang Sawallisch. Prior to his appointment in Philadelphia, Mr. Smith served as Assistant Conductor of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, under the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts conductor’s program.

            André Raphel Smith enjoys an active career as a guest conductor and has appeared with most of America’s major orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh symphony orchestras and the Cleveland, Minnesota and Philadelphia orchestras. In recent seasons he has conducted the Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Fort Worth, Hartford, Houston, Indianapolis, Knoxville, Louisville, Memphis, National, New Jersey, New World, North Carolina, Oregon, Saint Louis, Seattle, Syracuse and Utah symphony orchestras, Louisiana and Rochester philharmonic orchestras, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston. In 1997, he made his Carnegie Hall debut, leading the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, returning to the famed hall with the same orchestra in the following season. Mr. Smith’s international engagements include performances with Germany’s Neubrandenburger Philarmonie, Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica and New Zealand’s Auckland Philharmonia.

            A guest conductor at the major music festivals, André Raphel Smith has led programs at the Blossom Music Festival with The Cleveland Orchestra and at the Mann Music Center with The Philadelphia Orchestra. During 2003, he led the Kennedy Center/National Symphony

Orchestra Summer Music Institute. He has also conducted at the Tanglewood Music Center, Eastern Music Festival, Topeka’s Sunflower Music Festival, Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival, as well as Brazil’s Campos Do Jordao Festival.

            André Raphel Smith has a strong and active interest in audience development and arts education. During his tenure with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, he served as Music Director of its "In Unison" program, a partnership between the orchestra and local churches. He has also been heard nationally as a featured artist on NPR’s "Performance Today." Mr. Smith’s commitment to education is also reflected in his work with orchestras at leading conservatories and training programs throughout the country. He frequently appears with The Juilliard Orchestra and has also led performances at the National Orchestral Institute and with The New World Symphony and Young Artists Orchestra at Tanglewood.

            Born in Durham, North Carolina, André Raphel Smith began formal music lessons at age 11.  He received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Miami, continuing his studies at Yale University, where he earned his Master’s degree. While at Yale, Mr. Smith began his conducting studies with Otto-Werner Mueller. He continued studies with Mr. Mueller at The Curtis Institute of Music, earning a diploma in conducting, and at The Juilliard School, where he was awarded the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship and received an advanced certificate in orchestral conducting.

            André Raphel Smith is the recipient of numerous awards, among them Honorary Commendations from the cities of Philadelphia and St. Louis. In 2001, the North Carolina Senate awarded him the “Order of the Long Leaf Pine,” the state’s highest honor for a civilian. West Liberty State College conferred an Honorary Doctorate in 2004. In 2006, Mr. Smith was named the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from Yale University.