Conductor Robert Moody celebrates his ninth season as music director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and 18th season as music director of Arizona Musicfest. He was named music director of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra in June 2024.
In 2022, Moody was invited to conduct the Lakeland Symphony Orchestra in Florida in a gala concert with Renée Fleming. Following that experience, he was immediately named Principal Opera Conductor for Lakeland Symphony/Opera.
Prior to Memphis, Moody was music director of both the Portland Symphony (Maine) and the Winston-Salem Symphony (North Carolina).
During the 2024–25 season, Moody debuts with Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Tulsa Opera, both in performances with Renée Fleming, and with the Tampere Philharmonic and Romania’s Filarmonica Banatul; he also returns to conduct the Portland and Greensboro symphony orchestras.
He has led many of the major orchestras and opera companies of the world, including the Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Toronto symphony orchestras; the Los Angeles and Buffalo philharmonics; the Minnesota Orchestra; and Washington National Opera. Internationally, his recent engagements include the Aachen and Baden-Baden symphony orchestras in Germany, Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá (Colombia), and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra (Austria). He made his debut in China in 2024 with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra. He is a frequent guest conductor in South Africa, returning this season for the third time to conduct the three major orchestras there — Cape Town, Johannesburg and KZN Philharmonic in Durban.
Passionate about mentoring the next generation of musicians, Moody has spent recent summers conducting at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra and Highlands Opera Festival.
Moody’s work is available on several commercial recordings, including the Canadian Brass albums Bach and Legends, R. Carlos Nakai’s Fourth World album, and with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and trumpet legend Ryan Anthony on his Re:mission Rubato album.
A South Carolina native, Moody holds degrees from Furman University and the Eastman School of Music, where he earned his conducting degree with Donald Neuen. Additional studies included an undergraduate term abroad in Vienna and a summer of study with Otto-Werner Mueller at Le Domaine Forget in Quebec. He is a Rotarian and has served on the boards of AIDS Care Services, Winston-Salem YMCA, WDAV Classical Radio and the Charlotte Master Chorale. robertmoodymusic.com