Hometown:
Skokie, Illinois
Education:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Bachelor of Music 2021
University of Michigan Master of Music 2023
Bio:
David Caplan is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois. Previous teachers include Amir Eldan, Daniel McDonough, Dmitry Kouzov, Jonathan Pegis, and Benjamin Whitcomb. Currently, David serves as a principal cellist of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and has performed frequently with the Chicago Symphony and the Grant Park Orchestra. David has made appearances at the Taos School of Music and the Aspen Music Festival.
What inspired you to become a musician?
I wanted to be good at something after being frequently bullied as a child, and in fourth grade, I chose the tuba. Well, it was too expensive for my family to rent, so I went with the cello instead! Seeing a violinist in the school orchestra who took lessons and was really talented made me want to pursue taking lessons too, and from there I never looked back!
Name your favorite composers and/or pieces:
Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Mahler, and most importantly Beethoven. The late chamber music of Beethoven is not from Earth.
What is an interesting fact about you and/or your instrument?
My instrument was made by two people! It was started by Tschu Ho Lee, who was director of the Chicago School of Violin Making in my own town of Skokie, Illinois. He passed away before finishing the instrument, so it was passed down to my great friend and luthier, Peter Seman, owner of Seman Violins in Skokie. He finished the cello in 2023. Go Skokie!
When taking a break from music-making, what is your favorite thing to do?
I like to try my hand at cooking. I recently learned how to make ratatouille, and I had no idea it would take four hours!
Why did you choose the NRO?
I chose the NRO after hearing wonderful things from colleagues who attended in previous years. Colorado is my favorite state, and I love the privilege of getting to meet new colleagues from across the world who are all trying to achieve a similar goal. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my summer than to attend the National Repertory Orchestra.