Bio

David Getz has been the Orchestra Director of Morton High School since 2012. He received his Bachelors of Music Education from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2012, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude, and his Masters in Music Education from Illinois State University in 2021. Getz is a pianist and violist, though he also enjoys playing his mandolin, guitar, accordion, and alto recorder on occasion.

As a performer, Getz won the Illinois Wesleyan Concert/Aria Competition in 2010, and he performed the piano solo part of Rhapsody in Blue at a concert in 2013. Getz guest conducted the Central Illinois Concert Orchestra in 2015 as well as the District 2 Middle School Festival Orchestra in 2016. Getz is also an avid composer; the Morton High School Orchestra has premiered three of his compositions in the past five years. Getz presented at the 2017 ILMEA Convention on the student composition program he started in 2012, “The Composers’ Guild.” In 2022, Getz published a book, “Unlocking Student Creativity through Composition,” on the curriculum and formation of the Composers’ Guild; it is available through F-Flat Books. In 2018, Getz finished writing, produced, and directed his first original musical, Ruth, which can be streamed on Spotify. He also hosts a podcast, “Feed the Lake,” which focuses on helping people discover their most creative selves.

In addition to music, Getz loves athletics. He ran Cross Country and Track & Field at Illinois Wesleyan, and he was an Assistant Cross Country & Track Coach at MHS from 2012-2021. He lives in Morton with his wife, Lauren, and their son, Skye. They are also active foster parents.