Our Conductor

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An Ohio native, Mr. Donald Buxton grew up near Cincinnati. He studied piano and violin, but his talent at the piano brought him recognition at an early age. His performance career began at the age of twelve when he entered the “Young Artists Competition on piano, sponsored by the Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.

Mr. Buxton did his undergraduate work at Wilmington College of Ohio.  After being given opportunities to conduct at the undergraduate level, his love of orchestral music and conducting took him to the Conservatory at the University of Cincinnati and to Juilliard for advanced studies in conducting.  Mr. Buxton has performed with Cincinnati Symphony, Columbus Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, and Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.  Since moving to the Easton area with his wife, Meredith, Mr. Buxton,  along with Marcy Rosen and J. Lawrie Bloom, founded the Eastern Shore Chamber Music Festival in 1986 and currently serves as its Executive Director. He serves on numerous nonprofit arts boards, the Talbot County Arts Council, and as a performing arts panelist on the Maryland State Arts Council.  He is currently on faculty at Washington College in Chestertown.  Both Mr. and Mrs. Buxton teach privately in their studios in Royal Oak.

Mr. Buxton performs frequently as a soloist, freelances with orchestras, and with the Miles Quartet, of which he is a founding member. He is active in professional organizations at the national level.  He was the Associate Conductor of the Talbot Chamber Orchestra in the mid 1980’s  and was the founding Artistic Director/Conductor of the Mid-Atlantic Symphony from 1997 to 2005. Mr. Buxton assumed the position of Music Director of Dover Symphony in 1989.  We are overjoyed that he is celebrating his 30th year as our Conductor and Music Director this season.

Working with young people has always been a special love for Mr. Buxton.  In 2004, through the Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival,  the Chesapeake Chamber Music Competition was launched.  The competition, designed to assist emerging artists launch their careers, now enjoys an international reputation. Most recently, Chesapeake Chamber Music launched a Youth Initiative, offering ten free violin lessons to third grade students followed up by after school string programs.