Richard A. Raub , Musical Director

Is a twice summa cum laude graduate of West Chester University, PA; he has also studied privately with Martin Katz in NYC. For the past twenty-two years he has worked at The Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and is currently a master vocal coach, assisting the musical director and conducting operas.

For nine seasons he served as assistant conductor, pianist, and supertitle operator at the Opera Company of Philadelphia (OCP). He served as supertitle operator for The Philadelphia Orchestra for several concert opera performances both at The Academy of Music and Carnegie Hall.

He has also served on the music staffs of The Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada, The Grand Teton Music Festival in Wyoming, The Pittsburgh Opera Center, The Hollybush Festival in New Jersey, The Kent Blossom Festival in Ohio, and The University of the Arts and Temple University in Philadelphia.

As an opera conductor, Mr. Raub has conducted performances of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Die Fledermaus, Don Pasquale, Così fan tutte, Richard Wargo’s The Music Shop, and many productions of Hansel and Gretel at AVA and at Artpark in Lewiston, NY, and most recently Puccini's Le villi at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. He served as assistant conductor for Opera Carolina’s production of Floyd’s Cold Sassy Tree, and conducted the world premiere of Philadelphia composer Margaret Garwood’s The Scarlet Letter; he has also conducted Massenet’s Cendrillon at The Banff Centre and Don Giovanni at The Blossom Festival.

Mr. Raub has served as coach/pianist for The Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition and worked with Mr. Pavarotti as a recitative accompanist in OCP’s production of L’elisir d’amore and as backstage conductor for Luisa Miller, and Pittsburgh Opera’s Tosca. He has performed with José Carreras, George Shirley, Benita Valente and Florence Quivar, Richard Leech, and Indra Thomas.

In demand as a pianist for recitals, Mr. Raub has performed and recorded with singers throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia. He made his Carnegie Hall debut during its 100th Anniversary with mezzo-soprano and AVA alumna Wanda Brister, and has accompanied Wilhelmenia Fernandez (AVA alumna and star of the film Diva) in recital and on television. Mr. Raub has also accompanied three additional AVA alumni in their recital debuts: Stuart Neill at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, John Packard (Dead Man Walking) at the Ravinia Festival, and Richard Troxell (star of the film Madama Butterfly) at Salem College, NC and Penn State University.

The Czarevitch is Mr. Raub's debut with Concert Operetta Theater.