David Cubek
David Cubek has been the director of the Claremont Concert Orchestra of Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges since 2010, where he is recipient of Scripps College’s Mary W. Johnson Award for excellence in teaching, and an enthusiastic advocate of new music. He serves as Assistant Conductor of the Pasadena Symphony, Conductor of the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra Philharmonic, and Conductor of new music ensemble Fonema Consort. He is a firm believer in the power of music to foster social change, and has conducted various ensembles from Venezuela’s admired music education program El Sistema in Venezuela and the US.
Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Mr. Cubek moved to Montreal in 1999 to continue his music education, studying piano and music theory at McGill University and orchestral conducting at the Conservatory of Montreal. Mr. Cubek completed his doctoral studies in orchestral conducting at Northwestern University, where he served as assistant and guest conductor of the opera program, and the Chamber and Symphony Orchestras. He was music director of the University of Chicago Chamber Orchestra and has led ensembles in Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, Italy, Mexico, and Ukraine. In California, recent engagements include guest appearances with the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra and the Eastern Sierra Symphony.