Biography

David Anderson is in his third year on the artistic staff of the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra as conductor of the Philharmonia and director of the Chamber Music Institute.

A native of Clovis, New Mexico, David received his initial musical instruction at the piano. He attended Baylor University, where he earned two degrees in piano performance (BM, summa cum laude and MM, with distinction). During his residence at Baylor, David performed extensively and received numerous awards. While at Baylor, David began conducting studies under the guidance of Stephen Heyde.

At the University of Illinois, David earned an MM in orchestral conducting with Donald Schleicher; while there he served as the ensemble manager for the University of Illinois orchestra program and as Assistant Conductor for the Quad City Symphony. He was awarded the Kate Neal Kinley Memorial Fellowship for the 2006-07 academic year, which funded travel throughout the country to study with master conducting teachers. In 2006, David was a finalist for the Conductors Guild's prestigious Thelma A. Robinson award.

In addition to his musical gifts, David has excelled in the area of administration. Under his leadership, the University of Illinois orchestral program became a much more visible part of the university as a whole through a drastic increase in concert attendance. Audiences at the Krannert Center Great Hall went from 200-300 to 1000+ during his time there. He has since seen similar results in his direction of the EYSO's Chamber Music Institute. Through David's leadership, membership has increased from 20 to 90 participants in two years.

David has collaborated with soloists Midori, Timothy Ehlen, and Rick Rowley. In addition to the ensembles of the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, he has worked with the Quad City Symphony; the orchestras, opera, and new music ensemble of the University of Illinois; Baylor Symphony Orchestra; Beloit College Orchestra; and the East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra. He has given clinics for the orchestras of Olivet Nazarene University, NCJC (a Northern Illinois junior high honors group), and Batavia High School. David has received additional instruction through active participation at workshops under the guidance of Leonard Slatkin, Gustav Meier, Giancarlo Guerrero, Kenneth Kiesler, Victor Yampolsky, David Hoose, Christopher Zimmerman, Kenneth Woods, Emily Freeman Brown, and Peter Bay.