David Smith
David Smith is the Principal Horn of The Florida Orchestra. He was appointed to the position by the Music Director, Michael Francis, in January 2017. David, a South Carolina native, started playing horn in Middle School band before attending the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities in 2001. In 2005 he moved to Baltimore to study Horn Performance and Recording Engineering at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. After graduating, David moved to Scotland to further hone his musical training at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow.
In 2011 David moved back to the United States and began freelancing and auditioning for orchestral positions. Before moving to Tampa, he regularly performed with orchestras such as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony, and the National Philharmonic.
Since The Florida Orchestra does not have a Summer season, David usually spends those months playing music festivals like Mainly Mozart in San Diego and Verbier in Switzerland. He still regularly tours with the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra. When David is not working, you might find him building computers, playing disc golf, or playing with his two Australian Shepherds, Sofie and Cora.