David Neely
Described by Opera News as “a ninja warrior with a baton” for his performances of Berg’s Wozzeck with Des Moines Metro Opera, David Neely maintains an active conducting career in symphonic, opera, ballet, and educational settings. Previously serving on the faculty of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, he was appointed Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Maryland in 2019. Highlights at Maryland include Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Emilie Mayer’s Symphony in F minor, Carlos Simon’s The Block, and the world premiere of Maria Newman’s Our Rights and Nothing Less. He has appeared with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, the Portland Symphony Orchestra, Bochumer Symphoniker, Dortmunder Philharmoniker, the Symphonieorchester Vorarlberg, among others. He remains a regular guest conductor at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
As Music Director and Principal Conductor of Des Moines Metro Opera, Neely has elevated the company’s musical profile with critically acclaimed performances of a wide range of new and traditional repertoire, including the recent world premiere of Kristin Kuster and Mark Campbell’s A Thousand Acres and the in-person premiere of Damien Geter and Lila Palmer’s American Apollo. He has led productions with Atlanta Opera, Sarasota Opera, Bonn Opera, Halle Opera, Dortmund Opera, Saarland State Opera, St. Gallen Opera, Coburg Opera, the Eutiner Festspiele. His performances have been praised in Opera News, Opera Today, the Chicago Tribune, and the Wall Street Journal.
Neely has performed with numerous prominent artists including Joshua Roman, Bella Hristova, Benjamin Beilman, Rainer Honeck, Nicholas Daniel, Delfeayo Marsalis, Ben Lulich, and Ricardo Morales. He has appeared as a collaborative pianist with numerous singers, including a recent recital with Joyce Castle and Winterreise with David Adam Moore. He has served as a conducting teacher and guest master coach with Washington National Opera’s Cafritz Young Artist program, and conducted WNO’s American Opera Initiative in 2021. He will appear with the National Orchestra Institute in 2023.
For more information please visit www.davidneelyconductor.com
David Chan
Known as one of the most accomplished violinists of his generation, David Chan is also quickly making a name for himself as an elegant conductor of unusual interpretive depth. Currently in his 23rd season as concertmaster of New York’s MET Orchestra, Mr. Chan also serves as music director of Camerata Notturna, one of New York City’s foremost chamber orchestras. Increasingly in demand on the podium, Chan’s conducting engagements in recent seasons have included Belgium’s l’Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, and l’Orchestre Dijon Bourgogne in France; the Grant Park and Classical Tahoe summer festivals; the Juilliard Orchestra in New York City; and at Musique et Vin au Clos Vougeot, where the festival orchestra comprises musicians from the Metropolitan Opera, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, and all of the top orchestras in Paris. In addition to being on the Juilliard faculty, he also serves as Head of the prestigious Orchestral Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music; and lives in the New York City area with his wife, violinist Catherine Ro, and their children Annalise, Micah, and Arianna.
For more information please visit https://davidchanmusic.com/