Delta David Gier

Delta David Gier came to national attention in 1997 when he conducted a tour of Bizet’s Carmen for San Francisco Opera’s Western Opera Theater. He has performed with many of the world’s finest soloists, including violinists Midori, Sarah Chang, and pianist Lang Lang.

Since the 2004–05 season Mr. Gier has held the post of music director of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. During his first three seasons, the orchestra enjoyed great success with its series of concerts featuring works of Pulitzer Prize–winning composers. As a Fulbright Scholar (1988–90) Mr. Gier led critically acclaimed performances with many orchestras of Eastern Europe. He was invited to the former Czechoslovakia to conduct Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony in celebration of the 100th anniversary of its premiere. Mr. Gier took this opportunity to introduce Eastern European audiences to many American masterworks, such as Barber’s Violin Concerto with the Presidential Symphony of Ankara, and Copland’s Appalachian Spring with the Bucharest Philharmonic.

Mr. Gier earned a Master of Music degree in conducting from the University of Michigan under Gustav Meier. As a student at Tanglewood and Aspen, he also studied with Leonard Bernstein, Kurt Masur, Erich Leinsdorf, and Seiji Ozawa. At the invitation of the American Symphony Orchestra League he participated in its National Conductor Preview, a highly selective showcase for young conductors. Mr. Gier is the host and conductor of this season’s Young People’s Concerts, which began on November 10, 2007.