NASA 2024 NASA Conference— Featured Artists & Ensembles

Thanks to all who joined us Thursday-Sunday, March 14-17, 2024 for the NASA 2024 NASA Conference at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

David E. Becker

David E. Becker was appointed Interim Director of Orchestral Studies for 2013-14 at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, and he accepted the permanent position beginning September, 2014. He served as the Interim Conductor of the Lubbock Youth Symphony Orchestra for 2014-15.

Professor Becker, Professor Emeritus, was the Director of Orchestral Studies and Conductor of the Symphony, Chamber, and Opera Orchestras at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music (WI) from 2005-2012. He was the recipient of the Lawrence University 2010 Excellence in Teaching Award and received the Honorary Degree of Master of Arts in recognition of meritorious achievement in 2012. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the Fox Valley Symphony (WI) for his work as the Interim Conductor of the Fox Valley Symphony Youth Orchestra (Appleton, WI) during 2011.

Awarded Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2005, he was Director of Orchestras and Professor of the Graduate Orchestral Conducting Program 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), Music Director/Conductor of the Racine Symphony (WI) (1989-1993), and the recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Service Award from the Wisconsin Chapter of ASTA.

Before moving to Madison in 1984, Professor Becker 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), Greater Miami (FL) Youth Symphony Orchestras, and the Brevard (NC) Summer Music Festival.

Mr. Becker's career as an artist 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, Oberlin Conservatory, and the Eduard Melkus String Quartet touring in the U.S. and Europe.

Mr. Becker is widely recognized for his dedication to teaching student musicians which has resulted in high school/university orchestra clinics, and guest conducting Regional and All-State Honor Orchestras in 43 states. More recently Professor Becker was invited to guest conduct the Zhuying Symphony Orchestra in Guanghou and Zhanjiinag (2011) China, the MENC All-National Honors Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC (2012), and serve as a clinician/conductor for the ASTA National Orchestra Conference (2013), and the Ohio State University Summer String Teacher's Workshop beginning in 2006.

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