David Amado (Courtesy of Delaware Symphony Orchestra)
David Amado is getting a new title in July from the with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra: music director laureate.
He will continue to appear with the DSO, conducting selected concerts in the 2023-2024 season and beyond.
The DSO will also welcome guest conductors next season, with a formal music director search beginning in 2024.
“I am proud of our work together over the last two decades – from two Latin Grammy-nominated recordings to the exceptional artistic growth I have led,” he said in the symphony’s release announcing the change. “The DSO will always have a warm place in my heart, and I look forward to following its continued evolution, knowing it will always be a valued cultural asset.”
Amado was hired in 2003 following a nationwide search.
The DSO will continue to honor Amado’s 20th anniversary throughout the current season, ending with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on April 28 at The Grand Opera House in Wilmington.
“Amado began his musical training in piano, studying in The Juilliard School’s pre-college and college divisions before going on to Indiana University, where he received a master’s degree in instrumental conducting. Returning to New York, he pursued further conducting studies at Juilliard with Otto-Werner Mueller,” he writes on his own website. “His first professional conducting post, an apprenticeship with the Oregon Symphony, was followed by a six-year tenure with the St. Louis Symphony, where he served as both a staff conductor at the orchestra and music director of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra.”
In 2016, he began a second music directorship at the Atlantic Classical Orchestra in Florida. Amado lives in Maine with his wife and twin sons, the New Haven (Connecticut) Register reported in 2018, when he tried to out lead the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.
“Maestro Amado has achieved a remarkable milestone of continuous leadership as our music director through some of the most tumultuous years that arts organizations have navigated,” said David Fleming, president of the Delaware Symphony board. “His easy rapport with audiences, musicianship, and dedication to advancing professional musical performance in Delaware are extraordinary.”
“David’s dedication to the organization and professionalism are truly outstanding,” said J.C. Barker, executive director of the DSO. “The orchestra’s artistic level has soared under his leadership, and the success of his tenure and contributions to the community are remarkable.”
