Kevin has served as a musical director and conductor for opera, classical music and musical theatre for over 35 years in the USA, Europe and Australia. He holds doctoral degrees in Theatre and Music. Kevin is also the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Australian Discovery Orchestra, the country’s most innovative professional symphony orchestra.
As a musical director, Kevin has previously been the musical director of the original production of CATS (1995-96) at the New London Theatre as well as for the South Korean Premiere production (2003). More recently Kevin has conducted WICKED at London’s Apollo Victoria theatre and was the originating musical director for the first national UK/Eire tour (2013).
As an arranger and orchestrator, Kevin is much sought after for his American Songbook orchestrations. His arrangements have been performed by leading orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra (Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts), New York City Opera, New York Pops, Boston Pops and by artists including, Marvin Hamlisch, Stephen Schwartz, Kristin Chenoweth, Liz and Ann Hampton Callaway, Raúl Esparza, Victor Garber, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, and numerous other A-list Broadway artists.
Kevin originally studied conducting at the Moscow Conservatory (USSR) with subsequent graduate conducting studies at the Janáček Academy of Music (CZ) culminating in a Master degree in orchestral conducting at Bard College (USA). Awards include: GOI-IES Scholarship (Ireland, 2021); The American Music Prize Ernst Bacon Memorial Award (2019); Tait Memorial Trust Award (London, 1996); Australian Music Foundation in London Sir Charles Mackerras Conductor Prize (1995 & 1994); Opera Australia Willem van Otterloo Scholarship (1993) and Bellhouse Conducting Prize (Sydney, 1993).
www.kevinpurcell.com.au