Meet David Platt
Known for his discerning ear, organic music-making, and collaborative spirit, American conductor-violinist David Platt is quickly making a name for himself in symphonic, operatic, ballet, and contemporary music around the world. He’s currently a Conducting Fellow with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra under Music Director Jun Märkl, while completing his doctorate in conducting from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.
David has served as an assistant conductor for various concerts with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Firelands Symphony Orchestra, Austin Symphony Orchestra, and the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. Musicians greatly value David’s attention to detail and courteous demeanor, such that the Charleston Symphony specifically requested him for their landmark recording projects in their 2019 season. A dynamic public speaker, David makes a point to engage audiences during his performances, sharing insights to help listeners connect with the music more personally and emotionally. David’s been honored to assist Giancarlo Guerrero, Jun Märkl, David Nealy, Thomas Wilkins, Peter Bay, Ken Lam, and others in recent years.
In 2019, David made his operatic debut guest conducting La Traviata with the Kyrgyz National Opera and Ballet Theatre to great acclaim. Since then, David has worked on productions of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and The Nutcracker, Shulamit Ran’s world-premiere opera The Diary of Anne Frank, Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore, John Williams’ Jurassic Park, Handel’s Alcina, Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Handel’s Messiah, and more. David is commended for his intuitive understanding of operatic repertoire, his sensitive music-making, and the ease with which he leads the orchestra. His conducting career has taken him across the United States and to international stages in Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Italy, Germany, Finland, Sweden, and Kyrgyzstan.
David’s performances aim to captivate audiences by making music relatable and accessible, stating that “classical music doesn’t belong to the privileged few - it belongs to everyone.” An advocate for diversity in classical music, David is committed to showcasing works by under-represented composers, having recently worked on performances of Lili Boulanger, Ernst Chausson, Einojuhanni Rautavaara, William Grant Still, Samuel Coleridge Taylor, Duke Ellington, Ethyl Smyth, and Anna Thorvaldsdottir. As diverse as his influences and interests may be, David’s mission for classical music in the 21st-century is steadfast: to inspire, connect, and deliver audiences experiences worth remembering.
David holds a quintuple degree in Violin Performance, Music Education, Music Theory, Music History, and Composition from Butler University. Conservatory-trained, he received his Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2015, and is currently working towards his Doctorate of Music in Orchestral Conducting at Indiana University, where he serves as an Associate Instructor for Orchestra, Opera, and Ballet. David has been privileged to work with renowned pedagogues including Arthur Fagen, Thomas Wilkins, Robert Spano, Nicolás Pasquet, Carl Topilow, Markand Thakar, Neil Varon, David Effron, and Jeffery Meyer.