Miami University
Symphony Orchestra

Ricardo Averbach has served as Director of Orchestral Studies at Miami University of Ohio since 2002. A Brazilian conductor of international distinction, he is Past President of the College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA) and has appeared as guest conductor with orchestras in Bulgaria, Russia, Portugal, Italy, Luxembourg, France, China, Brazil, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Japan, India, Armenia, and throughout the United States. His concerts have been broadcast on radio and television in more than fifty countries.

A committed advocate of artistic excellence and contemporary music, Dr. Averbach has performed and recorded numerous world premieres for major labels, with recordings selling more than half a million copies worldwide. In 2025, his work reached new national prominence when the Miami University Symphony Orchestra (MUSO) was awarded First Place (Winner) in the American Prize in Orchestral Performance (College/University Division, Smaller Programs). That same year, he received Second Place in the American Prize in Orchestral Conducting, Second Place in the American Prize in Orchestral Composition (Professional Division), and Third Place in the American Prize Bacon Memorial Award, all in recognition of his artistic leadership and programming with MUSO.

These honors build upon earlier national recognition from The American Prize, including Winner of the 2010 American Prize in Conducting (runner-up in 2016), First Runner-up in the 2010 American Prize in Orchestral Performance with the Oxford Chamber Orchestra, and Finalist in the 2016 American Prize in Orchestral Performance with MUSO.

Dr. Averbach has presented masterclasses for conductors worldwide, from the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (MDW) to major conservatories in China and Russia. He is a regular participant in the prestigious International Academy and Competition for Orchestra Conductors in Portugal, engaging with emerging conductors and international faculty. At Miami University, he founded a distinctive Composition Competition—featuring exclusively works by undergraduate student composers—performed by MUSO and providing students with a rare platform for professional artistic experience.

In 2018, he received the Ohio Governor’s Award in the Individual Artist category, the state’s highest artistic and cultural recognition. A resident of Oxford since 2002, Ricardo Averbach has strengthened Ohio’s cultural landscape through collaborations with internationally renowned composers and soloists, multidisciplinary initiatives, national and international student tours, the commissioning of Ohio composers, and service on the Committee for the Arts and Innovative Thinking of the Ohio Department of Education.

Dr. Averbach remains deeply committed to the university environment, challenging students to think beyond convention and to use music as a vehicle for civic engagement, cultural insight, and artistic refinement.