DAVID TORNS
Conductor
"David Torns has really come into his own"
- The Advocate, Baton Rouge
David Torns is increasingly recognized for his vibrant personality, musical depth, and his ability to communicate an infectious joy for music to both musicians and audiences.
As Associate Conductor and Principal Pops Conductor of the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, David's recent collaborations include The Wicked Divas, Classical Mystery Tour, Spectrum Motown, Bravo Broadway, Cirque Musica, and Grammy Award winning jazz singer Dianne Reeves.
He has led orchestras with film including Disney's Pixar in Concert, and Disney Around the World. He has collaborated with Broadway artists Doug LaBrecque, Debbie Gravitte, Christiane Noll, Julie Reiber, Laura Woyasz, Hugh Panaro, Morgan James, Capathia Jenkins, and Darius de Haas.
He recently performed with American Idol finalists Haley Scarnato,
Matt Giraud, and LaKisha Jones.
Mr. Torns leads the Baton Rouge Symphony and the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre’s annual production of The Nutcracker.
Mr. Torns is a passionate proponent of music education, designing and implementing educational concerts that reach over 10,000 students a year. He is currently the Education Conductor for the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, performing over 30 concerts throughout New Orleans and the surrounding communities. He also holds the post of Music Director of the Louisiana Youth Orchestras, a tenure marked by sustained growth and artistic excellence. Mr. Torns has appeared in concert with academic orchestras throughout the United States including the Vanderbilt University Symphony, Nashville Youth Symphony, West Virginia University Symphony, the North Carolina School for the Arts "Musica Piccola" Orchestra, and the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra. He guest conducted the All-Southern California Honor Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Music Educators Association District I Honor Orchestra.
Mr. Torns has worked with the Omaha Symphony, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Astoria Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Acadiana Symphony Orchestra, Lansing Symphony, and Chattanooga Symphony.
Mr. Torns has attended the Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts, Sewanee Summer Music Festival, and the Chautauqua Institution.
He has performed in master classes with Harold Farberman, Marin Alsop, Apo Hsu, Guillermo Figueroa, Karen Deal, Eduardo Navega, Leon Botstein, Donald Portnoy, Samuel Jones, and Paul Vermel. He has also studied with Kenneth Kiesler, Markand Thakar,
Cyrus Ginwala, Timothy Muffitt, and Lawrence Christianson.
Mr. Torns was selected as a participant in the first Conductors Symposium with the Omaha Symphony, performing in master classes with Thomas Wilkins and Mark Gibson. Selected for the American Symphony Orchestra League’s Donald Thulean Conducting Workshop in Atlanta, he has been mentored by James Paul, Robert Spano, and Michael Morgan.
A graduate of the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University and the College of Creative Arts at West Virginia University, he began his musical studies at the age of five on the violin in his native city of San Diego, California.
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