David E. Becker
Conductor
David E. Becker was appointed Director of Orchestral Studies and Conductor of the Symphony and Opera Orchestras at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music (WI) beginning September 2005. He was Director of Orchestras and Professor of the Graduate Orchestral Conducting Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1984-2005. Maestro Becker and the UW Symphony Orchestra received critical acclaim for their international tours to Central Europe (1998) and Spain (2001). He was the Associate Conductor of the Madison Symphony (1985-1992) and Music Director/Conductor of the Racine Symphony (WI) (1989-1993).
Before coming to Madison in 1984, he was Director of Orchestras and Graduate Conducting at the University of Miami, Coral Gables. He went to Miami in 1980 from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music where he was Associate Professor of Applied Viola and Conductor of the String Arts Ensemble. During the 1980-82 seasons, Mr. Becker was appointed Assistant Conductor for Maestro Rainer Miedel and the Florida Philharmonic (Miami). Other resident conducting appointments have included the Northern Ohio (Oberlin), Wisconsin (Madison), and Greater Miami (FL) Youth Symphony Orchestras, and the Brevard (NC) Summer Music Festival.
Mr. Becker's career as a violist has included the Atlanta, Syracuse, Savannah, Louisville, Memphis, and Madison Symphonies, the Santa Fe and Miami Operas, the Sewanee (TN), Brevard (NC), and Peninsula (WI) Summer Music Festivals, the resident faculty string quartets at the Universities of Miami, Georgia, Memphis State, and Oberlin Conservatory, the Capella Academica Wien (Austria), and the Eduard Melkus String Quartet touring in the U.S. and Europe.
In addition to his active conducting and performing schedule, Mr. Becker is widely recognized for his dedication to teaching young musicians which has resulted in guest conducting, orchestral clinics and All-State Honor Orchestras in 36 states.
