Warriors in the World: David Möschler
“It’s not enough just to passively want there to be change in the world. You have to actively do something.”
Talk to David Möschler, even for a few minutes, and you realize that he is spending his life doing something that matters to him. Go to one of the sessions with his organization, the Awesöme Orchestra Collective, and you realize he is spending his life doing something that matters to others.
Möschler is an award-winning San Francisco Bay Area-based musical director and conductor. One could fill the next three pages with all manner of awards, recognitions, and amazing projects he holds. He has music-directed over 100 theater and opera productions, and in addition to his conducting engagements, he is in demand as a vocal coach, cabaret artist, orchestra contractor, casting consultant, and has held masterclasses and guest lectures at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, San Francisco City College, and Cal State East Bay Hayward and has served as adjunct faculty for several Bay Area high schools and colleges. After receiving his Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts in Physics at UNC Chapel Hill, Möschler completed his Master of Arts in Music for conducting, under the tutelage of Professors D. Kern Holoman and Jeffrey Thomas at UC Davis, publishing his thesis on Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel.
The most compelling of any of these, however, is the Awesöme Orchestra Collective which meets regularly in the Bay Area and holds free, low-pressure, high-level orchestra reading sessions of new and traditional repertoire in non-traditional and accessible locations.
Möschler founded this organization in 2013 with the vision of making orchestras as diverse and accessible to as many people as possible. One can play or listen for free, without needing to go through an audition or have the means to pay for tickets. This vision, held in their very mission statement, is changing our relationship, as a community, to music. “Our mission is to seek out musical adventures and find innovative ways to make orchestras more accessible to our community.”
Making orchestra available to people and communities where it may not necessarily be available otherwise is a way to encourage an open and democratic music making experience. “We are about creating a culture of encouragement and a culture of empowerment,” Möschler says.
One of the tenets of participating in Awesöme Orchestra is be excellent to each other. When that is the premise of a culture, imagine what transpires. At a session one immediately senses the relaxed delight of the musicians, the laughter, the willingness to explore, and the sense of deep community that arises in the space. Möschler explains, “it’s not about the music. It’s about each other. Music just happens to be an excellent conduit for that.”
So here’s to David. A warrior in the world- bringing orchestra music, and confidence in each other’s brilliance to the Bay Area one session at a time.
Find out more about Awesome Orchestra (including their upcoming events and how to get involved) and watch a short documentary about them on their website here. (awesomeorchestra.org)
You can find out more about David on his personal website here. (davidmoschler.com)
