David Lockington
[2] Prior to his tenure in Grand Rapids, Lockington served as the music director for the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra (1996–2000) and the Long Island Philharmonic (1995–2000).
[9] He came on a scholarship to Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, US, where he studied cello performance and conducting.
[12] In his fourteen seasons as Music Director, he "created a lasting legacy of artistic achievements and genuine community enrichment."
The New York Times commended the Grand Rapids Symphony, under Lockington's artistic leadership for "being a model in the Classical music world.
"[13] In May 2005, Lockington Guest Conducted the Orchestra of St. Luke’s Archived 2017-04-04 at the Wayback Machine at Carnegie Hall.
[14] He considers the Grand Rapids Symphony’s seventy-fifth anniversary trip (founded in 1930) to Carnegie Hall "his greatest achievement.
"[18] In the 2015-2016 season, Lockington was named one of three Artistic Partners with the Northwest Sinfonietta in Tacoma, Washington.
[19] During Lockington's tenure with the Grand Rapids Symphony, pop music was incorporated into the classical repertoire.
The Symphony also gained national attention for its Grammy nomination in 2007 for “Invention and Alchemy,” a DVD and CD collaboration with harpist Deborah Henson-Conant.
It also included "an Artists in Residence partnership that allows symphony members to work with elementary school kids from kindergarten through the sixth grade.
[22] Also, under Lockington's direction, the Grand Rapids Symphony reached out to the African-American community by creating a "kind of a gospel chorus."
It performed at the annual concert “Symphony With Soul” established by Lockington in 2002 "to help connect cultures through music.
[27] Lockington told Niles that "working with students and youth can be quite helpful in the development of a conductor."
He said, "I like the idea of keeping everybody, not exactly guessing, but making sure that people are learning the skills of playing in orchestra: being able to go between the conductor and the page, being in the ensemble, being part of this morphing emotional entity, in time.
For three years, he held the post of Assistant Conductor with the Denver Symphony Orchestra and Opera Colorado.
[45] Internationally, Lockington has conducted the China Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra in Beijing and in Taiwan, led the English Chamber Orchestra on a tour in Asia and appeared with the Orquesta Sinfonica del Principado de Asturias in Spain and the Northern Sinfonia in Great Britain.
[46] From 2012 through 2016, Lockington was the Principal Guest Conductor for the Orquesta Sinfonica del Principado de Asturias.
