Brief Biography

David Pickett, conductor, writer, lecturer and record producer, was born in Yorkshire, England, but began his musical training in London – piano, organ and composition with Dr. Charles F. Waters and conducting with Alan Barlow. He is a graduate of London University (BMus) and was awarded a PhD by the University of Surrey for his research on Gustav Mahler as an Interpreter under the direction of Dr. Hans Heimler.

He continued his conducting studies with the renowned Russian conductor Igor Markevitch, who became his principal musical mentor. He founded the Bushey Symphony Orchestra in 1974, and was subsequently Music Director of two orchestras in the USA, the Carmel Symphony and the Bloomington Symphony. With these ensembles he conducted a wide-ranging repertoire and also championed the music of Polish and Finnish composers. In 1995 he commissioned and conducted the première of Einojuhani Rautavaara’ Seventh Symphony, Angel of Light, by. He was also Music Director of The Bloomington Brass Band, the SC4 Symphonic Band and the Lapeer County Concert Choir, Michigan, attracting acclaim for quality performances and expansion of the repertoire of these ensembles.

Dr. Pickett is an internationally recognized expert on Mahler’s compositions and his conducting career, and is much in demand for workshops and lectures on these and other musical subjects. He has prepared for publication and performance scores of Mahler’s interpretations of Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann and Smetana. These have been performed in major concert halls and some of them are available on CD. His writings on Mahler have been published by Ashgate Publishing, Cambridge University Press, Böhlau Verlag, Laaber Verlag and Peter Lang Publishing.

David Pickett is also a qualified Electronic Engineer (BSc, The City University, London), and was for nine years active at the EMI studios in Abbey Road, London, working with such artists as Daniel Barenboim and Placido Domingo. From 1979 he was Director of Tonmeister Studies and Lecturer in Recording Techniques at Surrey University, England. In 1983, he was appointed Professor of Music and Director of Recording Arts at Indiana University, Bloomington, later taking up appointments as Professor of Music at the University of North Texas and Chair of Audio Production at The Art Institute, Houston. He is now based in Vienna, Austria.

When not conducting, teaching, recording, or writing on music, he builds and plays harpsichords and organs by way of relaxation. His musical editions and arrangements are published by Josef Weinberger Ltd. and Fugato Press.

Curriculm Vitae

Rev. 10 Dec 2018