David Simmons, who is no stranger to Encore, was raised in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania. Upon graduating from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA in 1988, David moved to Washington, DC, where he attended The American University, Washington College of Law, and where he lived for 33 years. After a short career as a litigation and real estate attorney, David returned to his true passion, music, where his career has taken him from the music classroom to the church organ and choir loft, and from work as a recital soloist and accompanist to a variety of conductor’s podiums, stretching from choral and orchestral work to turns in musical theatre, jazz and opera. He served as Director of Music for both Ascension Lutheran Church and Ascension Lutheran Day School in Landover Hills, MD from 1995 to 2012. From 2006 through 2019, he served as the Artistic Director and Conductor of the 100-voice Congressional Chorus in Washington, DC. He became the Founding Artistic Director of American Youth Chorus in 2008 and the founding director of the 24 member a cappella Congressional Chamber Ensemble in 2012, the same year he assumed the leadership of the NorthEast Senior Singers. From 2017 through the summer of 2021, David served as the Organist and Choir Director for Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, DC. From September of 2019 through August of 2021, David served as an Encore conductor in the DC region and then as the Associate Artistic Director of Encore Creativity. In September of 2021 accepted the appointment as the Director of Music for the historic Trinity Episcopal Church in Wilmington, Delaware. An accomplished pianist and church organist, David has been playing professionally since the age of 14. David conducted for many DC area companies including the Washington National Opera, The Capital City Symphony and the Washington Savoyards, at numerous venues, including The White House, US Capitol Building, State Department, Library of Congress, National Archives, The National Building Museum, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Round House Theater, the Harman Center for the Arts, the National Theatre, the Alden Theater, the Gildenhorn Theater, The Katzen Center for the Arts, Arena Stage, and the Atlas Performing Arts Center. In addition, he worked in the education and outreach programs of numerous choral organizations, including The Washington Chorus and the Choral Arts Society of Washington. David is excited to be returning to the Encore roster of conductors as he establishes Encore’s inaugural presence in “The First State.”
