Raffaele Cipriano is an Italian conductor, opera coach, and composer, and a three-time national finalist for the American Prize in Conducting (2024, 2025, 2026). He is thrilled to lead the Classical Symphony of the Youth Symphony of Kansas City, guiding young musicians in discovering the masterpieces of the symphonic literature.

Trained at the conservatories of Padova and Venice, Dr. Cipriano earned his doctorate in orchestral conducting at the University of Kansas under the mentorship of Maestro David Neely, graduating with honors in 2018. He is the Director of Orchestras at Washburn University, Assistant Conductor of the Topeka Symphony Orchestra, and Artistic and Music Director of the Overland Park Orchestra, and he has been serving as Music Director of the Lawrence Opera Theatre for eight seasons.

He served as assistant and cover conductor at Sarasota Opera and has appeared as guest conductor with the Springfield Symphony and the Kansas City Civic Orchestra. His productions include Carmen, Don Giovanni, Pagliacci and Gianni Schicchi, Romeo and Juliet, and A Chorus Line, and since 2019 he has conducted the Lawrence Arts Center’s annual A Kansas Nutcracker. His orchestrations and arrangements have been performed by ensembles across Kansas and Missouri.