Bio

David Getz has been the Orchestra Director of Morton High School since 2012, the Central Illinois Concert Orchestra from 2017-2023, and the Central Illinois Youth Symphony since 2024. He received his Bachelors of Music Education from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2012, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude, and his Masters in Music Education from Illinois State University in 2021. Getz has studied extensively as a pianist and violist, though he also enjoys playing his mandolin in his free time.

As a performer, Getz won the Illinois Wesleyan Concert/Aria Competition in 2010, and he performed the piano solo part of Rhapsody in Blue at a concert in 2013. Getz is an avid composer that regularly premieres his works with his ensembles. Getz presented at the 2017 ILMEA Convention on the student composition program he started in 2012, “The Composers’ Guild.” In 2023, Getz published a book, “Unlocking Student Creativity through Composition,” on the curriculum and formation of the Composers’ Guild; it is available through F-Flat Books. In 2018, Getz finished writing, produced, and directed his first original musical, Ruth, which can be streamed on Spotify. He also hosts a podcast, “Feed the Lake,” which focuses on helping people discover their most creative selves. Getz is a frequent presenter at Music Education conferences on his innovate rehearsal techniques and creative approach to teaching and learning.

In addition to music, Getz loves athletics. He ran Cross Country and Track & Field at Illinois Wesleyan, and he was an Assistant Cross Country & Track Coach at MHS from 2012-2021. He lives in Morton with his wife, Lauren, their son, Skye, and they are also active foster parents.