David Smith, Principal Horn of The Florida Orchestra since 2016, is currently the Acting Associate Principal Horn of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. A native of South Carolina, David began playing the horn at age 11. He attended the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities and, after completing high school, moved to Baltimore to study Horn Performance and Recording Engineering at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. There, he studied privately with Philip Munds and Denise Tryon.
During the summers, David received fellowships to study at prominent music festivals, including the Verbier Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute, and the Pierre Monteux School. After earning his Bachelor’s Degree, David moved to Scotland to continue honing his musical training. He attended the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, where he earned a Master’s Degree in horn performance. At the Conservatoire, David learned the sounds, colors, and techniques unique to this area of the world from esteemed teachers, including the Principal Horn of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Principal Horn of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and the Second Horn of the Berlin Philharmonic.
Although the horn fell into his lap at a young age, David was ultimately inspired to pursue a professional career playing horn because of the film scores he grew up listening to. The writing for horn in film is challenging, but it is some of the most rewarding music in the repertoire. Like actors portraying complex characters on screen, the horn conveys a wide range of emotions. In one of John Williams' most iconic film scores, Star Wars, the horn symbolizes love, heroism, and villainy. Its melodies have the power to embolden, terrify, warm hearts, and even break them.
David has regularly performed as guest principal with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, Mainly Mozart Festival, and several major orchestras throughout Florida. During the summer, David teaches and performs as the Associate Principal Horn Faculty at the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina. In his free time, David enjoys building computers, playing disc golf, and spending time with his two Australian Shepherds, Sofie and Cora.