Page 7 - David Obelkevich

Achieving more than 50 years of considerable talent and experience, he began his career as a teacher
in New Jersey from 1968 to 1970. Afterward, from 1970 to 1996,
Mr. Obelkevich served the NYC Department of Education as an orchestral music instructor at George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School in Downtown Brooklyn. Prior to his teaching career, he received a Bachelor of Arts in Music at Columbia College
in 1965 and a Master of Arts in Music Education from Columbia University’s Teachers College in 1967.
In April 1965, Mr. Obelkevich was invited to join the Horace Mann school orchestra in rehearsals and a performance of Faure’s “Requiem” in the Bronx. They invited Leopold Stokowski to conduct, making
an incredible experience for Mr. Obelkevich. In July 2002, Mr. Obelkevich became the first western musician to play in an orchestra in Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia. Looking back on his career path, he attributes his immense success to the simple fact that he loves music and loves
to help people. Performing music has given him great joy, and to have other people perform under his leadership has been especially rewarding throughout his life.
Outside of his musical career, Mr. Obelkevich is an avid runner, having completed 112 marathons in the U.S., England, Australia, and Japan. He finished a record-number 44 out of 49 New York City Marathons since 1970 and holds the distinction of Champion Streaker due to his high number of consecutively completed marathons. The Comrades Marathon, which has been going since 1921, acknowledged Mr. Obelkevich as the first American to earn a “green number” due to his impressive 10 finishes. Additionally, he and his wife have ventured on
a 56-day pedal bicycle trip across the continental U.S. They only took 10 days off, notably biking from
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. In five years’ time, Mr. Obelkevich aims to continue running and parlaying his love of music to others.
Inspired by the musical influence of his father and
brother,
Mr. Obelkevich
took up the violin and viola at a young age and has since built a distinguishable career in music
education.
Emeritus Professor