David Herbert is principal timpani of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a post he has held since July 2013 after being appointed by Music Director Riccardo Muti. Prior to joining the CSO, he served as principal timpanist of the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) and the New World Symphony.
Herbert has been featured as a guest artist at many of North America's premier ensembles including the Pittsburgh Symphony and St. Louis Symphony; with the latter orchestra he made his professional solo debut after winning its young artist competition in 1991. Since then, he has appeared as a timpani concerto soloist with the San Francisco Symphony, Shanghai Symphony, Sun Valley Summer Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra and the New World Symphony. He performed the world premiere of William Kraft’s Grand Encounter Timpani Concerto No. 2 in 2005 with the San Francisco Symphony, a commission written specifically for him.
Herbert is sought after as a chamber musician and clinician around the world and has conducted master classes throughout North America, Japan, China, and Europe. He has taught at Northwestern University, the Boston Conservatory, Music Academy of the West and frequently at the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan as an international principal percussion instructor.
Herbert began piano studies with his parents, both professional pianists. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the St. Louis Conservatory of Music and a master’s degree in percussion performance from The Juilliard School, where he was a scholarship student of Roland Kohloff.