André Raphel is a conductor, educator, and advocate for contemporary music. Born in Durham, North Carolina, he studied at the University of Miami, Yale University, the Curtis Institute of Music, and The Juilliard School, earning an Advanced Certificate in orchestral conducting and receiving the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship.

Raphel served as Music Director of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra for 15 years and is now its Conductor Laureate. He was Assistant Conductor to Kurt Masur at the New York Philharmonic and also held positions with the Philadelphia and St. Louis Symphony Orchestras. He has conducted nearly all major American orchestras, including Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and New York, and worked internationally with the Bamberg Symphony, Neubrandenburger Philharmonie, and Moravska Philharmonie.

Passionate of new music, Raphel has led world premieres and commissioned works by Richard Danielpour, Jennifer Higdon, Kenneth Fuchs, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Uri Caine, and Hannibal Lokumbe. He is deeply committed to mentoring young musicians at Juilliard, New World Symphony, the Kennedy Center Summer Music Institute, and the National Orchestral Institute.
Career highlights include recordings with Bavarian Broadcasting, a Carnegie Hall debut leading Robert Shaw and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and international appearances with the Auckland Philharmonia, Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Colombia, and Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Costa Rica. Raphel has received numerous honors, including the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Miami, an Honorary Doctorate from West Liberty University, and the “Order of the Long Leaf Pine” from the North Carolina Senate.