A new faculty appointment for David Alexander Rahbee, the longtime head of orchestral activities and chair of the orchestral conducting program at the School of Music, changes his title from senior artist-in-residence to associate professor of music, an appointment with tenure effective in Fall 2024.
A native of Boston, Rahbee studied conducting at the New England Conservatory, Université de Montréal, Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna, and at the Pierre Monteux School. A former Donald E Petersen Faculty Fellow, Rahbee recently was awarded the Adelaide D. Currie Cole Endowed Professorship at the School of Music.
Since his arrival at the UW in fall 2013, Rahbee has led the formation of two student community orchestras, the Campus Philharmonia Orchestras, led by graduate students in the orchestral conducting program and providing performance opportunities for musicians from across the UW’s degree programs. His programming of the UW Symphony Orchestra has consistently incorporated appearances by School of Music performance faculty as well as students and alumni from the voice and instrumental performance programs. He and the orchestra have been the recipients of numerous honors and recognition by the American Prize national competitions, with Rahbee most recently receiving the Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award for Orchestral Programming in 2023, a first-place honor recognizing his programming with the UW Symphony Orchestra and its affiliated ensembles. He also received a first prize in conducting in 2020.
“The School of Music and our students have benefited greatly from David’s thoughtful leadership over the past decade,” says acting director Joël-François Durand. “We are happy to name him associate professor—it’s a well-deserved achievement.”