David Lockington

Education as cellist in Great Britain

Lockington was born as David Kirkman Lockington. His father was a podiatrist and an amateur cellist. The son followed his father's interest in the cello and started taking cello lessons when he "was just about 10." He completed his education in Great Britain at the University of Cambridge, where he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree as a choral scholar.

Musical Career in Great Britain

As a boy, Lockington sang in the English National Opera in productions such as the Magic Flute. David was principal cellist of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. At sixteen, he began his career as a cellist and was the Principal Cellist with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain for the last two years in that work.

Education and career as cellist in the United States

In 1978, Lockington moved to the United States from Great Britain. He became a citizen. He came on a scholarship to Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, where he studied cello performance and conducting. In cello performance, Lockington received a Master's Degree. In conducting, he studied with Otto-Werner Mueller. After graduating, Lockington served as a cellist with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and served as assistant principal cellist with the Denver Symphony Orchestra for three years before he turned to conducting.

Lockington married violinist Dylana Jenson. They have four children.

Grand Rapids Symphony: 1999-2015

From January 1999 to May 2015, Lockington served as the Music Director of the Grand Rapids Symphony, Grand Rapids, Michigan. 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."

In May 2005, Lockington Guest Conducted the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Carnegie Hall. He considers the Grand Rapids Symphony’s seventy-fifth anniversary trip (founded in 1930) to Carnegie Hall "his greatest achievement."

In 2008, Lockington initiated the successful Grand Rapids Symphony Youth Choruses. Also, at his initiative, the Symphony reached out to new and diverse audiences through its annual community concert “Symphony with Soul.”

From May 2007 to March 2013, in addition to his work with the Grand Rapids Symphony, Lockington held the position of Music Director with the Modesto Symphony. He traveled from Grand Rapid to California monthly "to tend to his responsibilities there."

In the 2015-2016 season, Lockington was named one of three Artistic Partners with the Northwest Sinfonietta in Tacoma, Washington.

During Lockington's tenure with the Grand Rapids Symphony, pop music was incorporated into the classical repertoire. It also began collaborating with the Grand Rapids Ballet Company. 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.

Lockington and the orchestra’s musicians encouraged a relationship with the community by "a variety of community outreach and educational programs." The educational programs included "a side-by-side concert series that allows high school students to perform with symphony members at their school." It also included "an Artists in Residence partnership that allows symphony members to work with elementary school kids from kindergarten through the sixth grade."

During Lockington's tenure with the Grand Rapids Symphony, either he or his Associate Conductor John Varineau conducted the Richard and Helen DeVos Classical Series, Casual Classics Series, Edward Jones Coffee Classics, Fox Motors Pops Series, Chase Picnic Pops, and DTE Energy Foundation Family Series concerts, in addition to special events, educational and festival concerts with the Grand Rapids Symphony.

Also, under Lockington's direction, the Grand Rapids Symphony reached out to the African-American community by creating a "kind of a gospel chorus." The chorus was "a mixed chorus of community people that want to come together and celebrate performing with the orchestra.” The Grand Rapids Community Gospel Chorus grew to more than one hundred voices. It performed at the annual concert “Symphony With Soul” established by Lockington in 2002 "to help connect cultures through music."

During his tenure with the Grand Rapids Symphony, Lockington took the added position of Music Director of the Modesto Symphony Orchestra in California. He traveled to California about once a month "to tend to his responsibilities there." He also Guest Conducted for "a variety of organizations around the country."

January 12, 2012 Interview

On January 12, 2012, Lockington was in Pasadena, California to conduct the Pasadena Symphony. Laurie Niles, editor of Violentist.com, interviewed him.

As she watched Lockington direct the youth orchestra, Laurie Niles, the reporter, described Lockington: "There it was again: His assurance on the podium, his obvious love for the music, his ease of communication, the English accent, and his way of using words like "penultimate" when he speaks with kids! As in, "Please sing the penultimate chord." (They looked around in puzzlement for a moment but then figured it out!). He doesn't talk down to kids." When one of the kids asked Lockington what were his hobbies, Lockington told about "doing triathlons" and a "three-decade devotion to yoga." The latter stemmed from a back injury Lockington suffered in a bad car accident. "I wanted to make sure that I could continue to move well while I aged," he said.

Lockington told Niles that "working with students and youth can be quite helpful in the development of a conductor." He added that "I personally think it's essential. There are a lot of conductors who, in their youth, get to conduct great orchestras through whatever program, or they become an assistant or an associate. But an orchestra at a high level will play itself. Learning how to pull something apart and to be very specific about what's needed, how to get it, and even to hear clearly, it's really instructive."

Furthermore, he said that working with students and youth, "sets up the tone of how you want to lead." 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."

Music Director of the Pasadena Symphony: 2013-

In 2012, Lockington guest conducted the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra in California. In 2013, he was appointed Music of the orchestra with an initial three-year contract. He began his tenure as Music Director immediately. His conducting work began with the 2013-14 Classics Series. He stepped down as music director of the Grand Rapids Symphony at the end of the 2014-15 season. In 2014-15, he began to conduct the Pasadena orchestra regularly.

When Lockington was named Music Director, Diane Rankin, President of the Pasadena Symphony Association, spoke of Lockington's “musicianship, technique, knowledge, leadership, and inspiration," which made him a "remarkable artist."

On February 19, 2017, a concert of Music for the Cello composed by the Pasadena Symphony Music Director Lockington was given in the Boston Court Performing Arts Center, Lockington was featured on the cello.

After the initial three-year contract, the Pasadena Symphony extended Lockington's contract through 2018-2019 season.

Musical career in the United States

Lockington served as assistant principal cellist for three years with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in Denver, Colorado, USA, before turning to conducting. While in Denver, Lockington conducted the World Premiere of William Hill’s The Raven. Hill's The Raven Hill is "a large work for orchestra and chorus based on Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven. It was commissioned by the Color ado Symphony Orchestra for the premier performance in 2015.

Lockington’s career as a conductor and music director has taken him all over the country, "from coast to coast and everywhere in between."

Lockington served as Music Director of the Cheyenne Symphony in Cheyenne, Wyoming. For three years, he held the post of Assistant Conductor with the Denver Symphony Orchestra and Opera Colorado.

In May 1993, Lockington accepted the position as Music Director of the Ohio Chamber Orchestra.

From 1992-1995, Lockington was Assistant and, later, Associate Conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He left in 1995 to go to New Mexico.

Before Lockington became Music Director of the Grand Rapids Symphony in 1999, he held the music directorships of the Long Island Philharmonic (1996–2000) and the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra simultaneously. He lived in New Mexico and commuted between the two states.

Guest Conducting Engagements

Lockington has performed guest conducting engagements throughout North America and internationally."

As of 2014, Lockington’s guest conducting engagements in the United States had included appearances with the Saint Louis Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado Symphony, the Oregon Symphony, the Phoenix Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Pacific Symphony, the Nashville Symphony, the San Diego Symphony, the Kansas City Symphony, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, the Louisville Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Canada, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Orchestra of St. Luke's at Carnegie Hall.

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.

From 2012 through 2016, Lockington was the Principal Guest Conductor for the Orquesta Sinfonica del Principado de Asturias. Orquesta Sinfonica del Principado de Asturias in Spain.

Recordings

Lockington earned a 2007 Grammy Award nomination. He also conducted five recordings with the Grand Rapids Symphony. The recordings have received high praise including the CD of Adolphus Hailstork’s Second and Third symphonies, released internationally by Naxos Records in 2007.

YouTube videos

The following videos featuring Lockington can be seen on www.YouTube.com:

Short promotional recordings
Lockington used YouTube to promote his orchestra and concerts: