He served as the assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York City Symphony under Leopold Stokowski for many years.
He continued with further piano and conducting studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
He notably led the U.S. State Department sponsored European and South American tours of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess from 1954 to 1956.
He also served as the music director for two Broadway productions, The Girl in Pink Tights (1954) and The Wayward Saint (1955).
In 1957 he conducted the national road company performances of Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady.