David Hayes
Music Director

David Hayes was appointed Music Director of The Philadelphia Singers in 1992. In January 2001, he was appointed to the conducting staff of The Philadelphia Orchestra. He has also served as cover conductor for the New York Philharmonic and for Sir Andre Previn on the Curtis Symphony Orchestra's 1999 European Tour. Mr. Hayes is the Director of Orchestral and Conducting Studies for the Mannes College of Music in New York City and Staff Conductor of the symphony orchestra of The Curtis Institute of Music.

With The Philadelphia Singers, Mr. Hayes has conducted numerous critically acclaimed performances including Handel's Messiah, Israel in Egypt, and Solomon, the Philadelphia premiere of Sir Michael Tippett's A Child of Our Time, Hindemith's Symphonie Mathis der Maler (presented with The Curtis Institute Symphony Orchestra), J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion, Mass in b minor and Christmas Oratorio, the Philadelphia premiere of Rossini's Il Viaggio a Reims with The Curtis Symphony and Opera Theatre (a work he first conducted in 1992 with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague), Mozart's Requiem and Mass in c minor, Beethoven's Mass in C Major and Missa Solemnis, Orff's Carmina Burana, and Stravinsky's Les Noces. He has conducted the world premieres of Laderman's Brotherly Love and several works by composer-in-residence, Jennifer Higdon.

Recently, David Hayes was asked by Maestro Sawallisch to conduct Brahms's Song of Destiny with The Philadelphia Orchestra and The Philadelphia Singers Chorale in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Mr. Hayes shared the podium with Maestro Sawallisch for the final three subscription performances of the Maestro's farewell season with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Last season, he conducted The Philadelphia Singers Chorale in Randall Thompson's Alleluia as part of a national PBS television broadcast of "A Tribute Concert: Music and Reflection on the Tragedies of September 11" presented by The Philadelphia Orchestra.

In past seasons, he has conducted the Louisiana Philharmonic, the American Repertory Ballet, the Rutgers Orchestra, and the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh. Previously, Mr. Hayes made his debut at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, conducting Respighi's Trittico Botticelliano and MacMillan's Veni, Veni, Emmanuel, with The Curtis Institute Symphony Orchestra, featuring percussionist Evelyn Glennie. He has conducted the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Sinfonia Orchestra at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in the Los Angeles Music Center as well as the Berkshire Choral Festival, conducting Beethoven's Egmont Overture, Mass in C Major and Bruckner's Te Deum with the Springfield (MA) Symphony Orchestra. In Philadelphia he has guest conducted The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Curtis Opera Theatre, and the Relāche Ensemble.

A native of the Boston area, Mr. Hayes studied conducting with Charles Bruck at the Pierre Monteux School and with Otto-Werner Mueller at Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music. He served as Assistant Conductor of The Philadelphia Singers from 1989-1992 and of the Opera Company of Philadelphia during the same period. Mr. Hayes is a member of the Board of Directors of Chorus America, the national service organization for the choral arts.