LOU Side-by-side Concert with UM Opera Theatre

University of Mississippi Music and Lafayette-Oxford-University Symphony Orchestra present the 2026 LOU Side-By-Side Concert with UM Opera Theatre and guest conductor David Eccles on Monday, November 2nd at 7:30pm in the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. David F. Eccles is a Norfolk, Virginia, native who brings passion, energy, and artistic excellence to string education. He currently leads the Orchestra Program and Upper School Orchestra at The Lovett School in Atlanta, Georgia, where his dedicated teaching was recognized with the prestigious O. Wayne Rollins Master Teacher Award in 2022. Before taking the helm at Lovett, David spent over a decade inspiring the next generation of educators as Director of String Music Education and Orchestral Activities at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago. His extensive background spans music education roles across Georgia, Virginia, and Florida. A dynamic presence both on and off the podium, David is a sought-after clinician, adjudicator, guest conductor, and cellist. He has helmed numerous youth orchestras as Music Director and Principal Conductor and regularly collaborates with state, regional, county, and community ensembles nationwide.