Dr. Ott, Philharmonic Music Director is an internationally recognized composer and conductor whose impressive works have been performed and recorded by some of the most notable orchestras in the United States and Europe. He has been honored with numerous awards, including being named Symphony Composer of the Year, the premier award presented annually by the Lancaster Symphony of Pennsylvania.  He was the winner of the 2003 Music Alive Award, a prestigious national award co-sponsored by the American Symphony Orchestra League and Meet the Composer.

Dr. Ott completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin at Plattsville, earned his Masters degree in piano performance at Indiana University and received his Doctorate in Music Theory & Composition from the University of Kentucky in 1982.  He held the appointment of Pace Eminent Scholar and Composer in Residence at the University of West Florida.

Ranking at the top of post-World War II American composers, Dr. Ott's works are among the most frequently performed of any American of the era.  He has been cited as "one of the greats of American symphony music composers of the last quarter of the Twentieth century"

http://davidottcomposer.com