Dr. David Kish, Principal Guest Conductor
A native of Hershey, Pennsylvania, David Kish is Director of Bands and Professor of Music at Metropolitan State University in Denver where he conducts the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and teaches conducting and music education courses. He has twice served as a Faculty Fellow in the Center for Innovation, is founding director of the Metro State Wind Band Celebration, and curator of the J.L. Gerardi Band Research Center. David is a recipient of the Faculty Senate Teaching Excellence Award at MSU Denver and the distinguished Alumni Award from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In 2015, David was appointed Conductor and Musical Director of the Colorado Wind Ensemble, a highly acclaimed, semi-professional wind ensemble based in Denver.
David has taught instrumental music at all educational levels, including a position as Associate Director of Bands and Franklin Fellow at the University of Georgia. His writings on wind literature, conducting pedagogy, and music education have been published in The Instrumentalist Magazine, Journal of Band Research, Music Educators Journal, and five volumes of the popular resource texts, Teaching Music Through Performance in Band. He has authored four volumes of his book series, Guides to Band Masterworks and his latest book, Practicing with Purpose was released in 2017. David’s books are available from Meredith Music Publications and distributed by Hal Leonard Corporation. Dr. Kish earned the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in Instrumental Conducting and Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. He has presented sessions at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, the National Association of Music Education Conference, and various state music education conferences. He was Conductor-in-Residence at Capital Normal University in Beijing, China, and maintains an active schedule as guest conductor, clinician, and lecturer throughout the United States. |