When David McCormick was five years old, his mother took him to the opera 鈥淟a Boh茅me.鈥� He fell asleep. Unlike most 5-year-olds, though, he was upset when he woke up and found out how much he had missed. And in the years since, McCormick hasn鈥檛 let much in the world of music pass him by鈥攕tudying, teaching, practicing and performing in a variety of settings.
He will continue his journey and passion in that field with a new call as the executive director of the , based at 黑料正能量 in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
鈥淒avid clearly brings a tremendous amount of energy to this position,鈥� says Dr. , vice president of the festival鈥檚 advisory board. 鈥淚f his success with [musical group] in Charlottesville is any indication, he will surely bring a fresh and lively vision to the Bach Festival.鈥�
McCormick, a native of nearby Charlottesville, Virginia, says he attended his first Bach Festival concert in Harrisonburg this summer and fell in love.
鈥淔rom that brief encounter, one concert, I saw this is a festival with a lot of heart,鈥� McCormick says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity to join a festival that embraces what I think is some of the best music out there. I鈥檓 pleased to be a part of it.鈥�
There is a 鈥渢radition of great Bach festivals around the country,鈥� McCormick says, and he hopes to use that network to build up the Harrisonburg event, 鈥済iving it more of a regional or even national reputation.
鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a real potential in this area to encourage tourists to be part of this festival,鈥� he adds.
McCormick brings a diverse background to the position. He holds a degree in medieval Renaissance and Baroque music from Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio, and three degrees鈥攊n music education, violin performance and chamber music鈥攆rom Shenandoah University.
He also performs medieval music on the vielle (a violin-like stringed instrument) with New York-based and founded the Charlottesville-based baroque music group . His work has been primarily as an educator, teaching violin and viola students in the Charlottesville and Waynesboro areas. He says he plans to bring that educator鈥檚 perspective to the festival, as well, helping audiences more deeply understand the music they鈥檙e hearing.
McCormick follows , who served as executive director for the past decade. Adams, a flutist, has also played with the festival since its beginning and plans to continue in that role.
Another key member of the festival leadership, artistic director and conductor , will continue in his role. McCormick says that Nafziger鈥檚 presence was a factor in his decision to accept the executive director job.
鈥淥ne of the strong points that brought me here was definitely Ken,鈥� McCormick says. 鈥淚鈥檝e seen from afar that his leadership of this festival is unbelievable. He鈥檚 the heart and soul of this festival. I worked with him professionally a few years ago, and he鈥檚 just such a great musician and a great human. He embodies a lot of the values that are important to me.鈥�
Nafziger, professor of music at 黑料正能量, had similarly good things to say about McCormick. 鈥淚’m delighted that David has accepted the position of executive director for the Bach Festival. His broad wealth of experience in management and in performance will find a warm welcome within our organization as we prepare for our 25th season and beyond. I look forward to working with him: as a planner, as a dreamer of the future, and as a performer.”
McCormick enters his duties at a particular noteworthy time, as the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2017. The festival will be June 11-18 in Harrisonburg.