Memorial University will celebrate fall convocation at the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre on Oct. 17.

During three sessions, more than 1,000 undergraduate and graduate degrees will be conferred and Maestro Marc David will be recognized for his dedication to music communities, students, musicians and audiences with an honorary doctor of letters degree.

Honorary degree recipients are chosen by the Senate, the university’s academic governing body, after careful examination of the grounds for their nomination. The honorary doctorate is designed to recognize extraordinary contributions to society or exceptional intellectual or artistic achievement.

The awarding of honorary doctorates, an important feature of Memorial’s convocation, serves to celebrate both the individual and the university as well as to inspire graduates, their families and guests.

A retired faculty member recently accorded the title professor emeritus by the university’s senate will also be recognized at convocation. Dr. Amarjit Singh, Faculty of Education, will be honoured.

For more information about fall convocation 2024, please visit the convocation website.

Ceremonies will be webcast live via the main page of the university’s website.

A biography of the honorary degree recipient follows below.

Maestro Marc David

Maestro Marc David was born in Kingston, Ont. He completed his bachelor of music degree at McGill University and his doctoral degree in orchestral conducting at Université de Montreal.

His career spans teaching and musical directorship of several musical organizations in the province of Quebec and, since 1992, he has served as the principal conductor of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra. In 2011, his role with the orchestra expanded when he assumed the additional duties of music director. His numerous guest-conducting engagements have led him to work with orchestras in Canada, the U.S., Central America, Europe and Asia.

For more than 30 years, Maestro David has been at the core of the musical community in Newfoundland and Labrador. He built a professional orchestra that is the envy of many communities of the country — a unique blend of musical excellence and community spirit.

Under his charismatic and capable musical guidance, the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra contributes to the cultural richness of the province through its educational programs for school children, its development of local musicians, outstanding and prolific musical performances and its outreach to people and groups across the province.

Through his leadership, the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra has maintained a strong collaborative connection to Memorial University. He championed many joint initiatives with Memorial, including the Orchestral Chairs Program, which is unique in Canada, and an instrumental conducting fellowship for graduate students in the School of Music. In 2002, he was appointed adjunct professor in the School of Music and has taught as a per-course instructor.

He is the recipient of Quebec’s Medal of the National Assembly, the City of Longueuil Tribute to a Builder of the Arts Award, as well as the Heinz Unger Conducting Award.

For his dedication to music communities, students, musicians and audiences, Maestro Marc David will receive the degree of doctor of letters, honoris causa.