Dr. Manuel Alvarez

Manny Alvarez recieved a bachelor's degree in trumpet/music education from the Eastman School of Music.  For twenty years, he performed with the Rochester and Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestras, Buffalo Philharmonic Brass Quintet and Melody Fair Summer Stock Orchestra.  His master and doctoral degrees were conferred by SUNY at Buffalo, where he studied composition with Allen Sapp, Leo Smit and Alexei Haieff.  His compositions and arrangements have been performed by ensembles throughout the United States.  While in Buffalo, he also served as the music director of the Cheektowaga (NY) Community Symphony Orchestra.

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Dr. Alvarez joined the faculty of the Hartt School of Music and was named music director of the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra and the Opera Theater programs.  The Orchestra performed for The Beethoven Society and the Mozart Bicentennial Celebration at Lincoln Center as well as the annual Kennedy Center Honors for honoree Yehudi Menuhin.  In addition, he also was music director of the Manchester (CT) Symphony and Chorale.  

After his appointed as director of the University of South Carolina School of Music, he served as associate conductor of the South Carolina Philharmonic and music director of the South Carolina Opera Theater, Winds of Change Ensemble, Hendersonville (NC) Symphony and the Southcoast Symphony Orchestras. 

 

Guest conducting appearances include the Sao Paulo State Symphony, Brazilian Symphony, Parana Symphony Orchestra, Spoleto Festival, Charleston Symphony and Hilton Head Symphony Orchestras.  His solo artist collaborations included Gary Karr, Awadgin Pratt, Jeremy Menuhin, Eugene Drucker, Lee Luvisi, Robert Levin and Esther Hinds.

For twenty years, he served on the conducting faculty at the Conductors Institute of South Carolina.  In that capacity, he had the privilege of mentoring over 150 promising conductors.