He also conducted the world premieres of operas by Claude Debussy, Frederick Delius, Stephen Paulus, and George Rochberg.
[3] In 1979 Harwood conducted the world premiere of Stephen Paulus' A Village Singer at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL).
[1] In June 1982 he led the world premiere of another opera by Paulus at the OTSL, The Postman Always Rings Twice; a work which he also conducted at the 1983 Edinburgh Festival.
[5][1] In August 1982 he conducted the world premiere of George Rochberg's Confidence Man at the Santa Fe Opera.
[6] In June 1983 he conducted the world premiere of Frederick Delius's Margot la Rouge at the OTSL.