“Through music, we explore every facet of our humanity, because music is a uniquely human activity. It reconciles the contradictory aspects of human nature: reason and emotion, introspection and communication, conflict and resolution.
Above all, music is joyful.
Everything about it—the way we study it, the way we practice it, the way we present it, and the way we perform it—must be joyful.”
(photo: Olivia Moonitz)
Welcome.
David Schildkret is an active conductor, teacher, scholar, and performer. He served as Director of Choral Activities at Arizona State University from 2002 to 2023 and has been the Music Director of the Mount Desert Summer Chorale in Maine since 1999. In addition, he is music director at Dayspring United Methodist Church. In 2018, he founded Euphony Ensemble. In late 2023, he became the music director of Arizona Cantilena Chorale.
Schildkret performs regularly as a conductor, narrator, and singer/actor. He has edited two major choral-orchestral works, Charpentier's Midnight Mass and Haydn's The Creation, which are available through this site (click on Editions for details). He recently completed a new series of poems for The Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns, which he has presented in several venues, most recently with the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra (see Portfolio for details about this and other recent stage performances; a brief sample of the poems is available on the Editions page). He has arranged music for chorus and handbell choir (visit the Editions page for a full listing).
To use one of his editions or to engage Dr. Schildkret as a performer, speaker, or clinician, click on Contact.