A life in Music.

David Michael Wolff is now in his fifteenth season (2023/24) as Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Carolina Philharmonic.  Under Maestro Wolff’s leadership, the orchestra has rapidly grown from a small chamber orchestra into one of the leading symphony orchestras in the region.  Two of the Philharmonic’s first concerts were at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall, and in the past few years the orchestra has come full circle with a meaningful partnership with the famed hall, bringing its education programs to the children of North Carolina. Along the way, Wolff was asked to create an interactive orchestral experience program for K-2 students called Encore! Kids, now serving thousands of children annually. 

Wolff is now also the Principal Conductor & Artistic Director of Orchestra 2100, serving Washington, DC and Virginia. 

Wolff made his orchestral début as piano soloist at the age of twelve, and just three years later entered college. A full scholarship student at the University of Washington, Wolff majored in Piano Performance while also pursuing a second major in Romance Languages.  After obtaining his Master’s Degree at The Manhattan School of Music under the direction of Byron Janis, celebrated pupil of Vladimir Horowitz, Wolff took up the baton.  Three years of study in Rome led to performances throughout Italy both as pianist and conductor.     

Along the way, Wolff won numerous prizes in international competitions, including grand prize in the Naomi Management International Competition in New York City.  Hundreds of performances across North America, Europe and Asia have solidified his reputation as one of the foremost performing artists of his generation.  He has appeared numerous times at Carnegie Hall, both as pianist and conductor.  Wolff resides in Pinehurst, NC with this wife and daughter.

An avid linguist, Wolff speaks five languages and has been a sought-after coach of international opera stars as well as aspiring concert pianists. His diverse interests have led to collaborations with such artists as dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov and choreographer Ruth Davidson Hahn and to numerous commissions to arrange and compose works for modern dance and other multi-media projects.  Career highlights include a return to Carnegie with The Carolina Philharmonic, a performance for President Bill Clinton’s Global Initiative in Arkansas, and performances in Shanghai at the World Expo and at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music with renowned Diva, Angela Brown.  

Wolff is author of Zen and the Art of Piano and Founder of Flow University.