Biography
"Superbly handled by both conductor and orchestra" Matthew Rye, Daily Telegraph."It was a considerable achievement. We should hear more from this gifted conductor" Edward Clarke, classicalsource.com (From reviews of Royal Festival Hall debut) "He has a wonderful ability to enable the sound to take off" (Culture Magazine, Moscow. From review of Tchaikovsky Hall debut)
Born in Wales, David began his musical studies as a violinist, as a result of free instrumental lessons at his primary school. Within a few months of study he had won a local music competition and was subsequently awarded a full scholarship to the Purcell School, Britain's specialist school for the musically gifted.
David went on to win a host of competitions and prizes whilst at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he studied violin, viola and chamber music with members of the Amadeus Quartet. During this time, David performed as soloist and chamber musician throughout Britain and Europe, and gave acclaimed chamber recitals at the Purcell Room on London's South Bank.
His conducting debut occurred at a moment’s notice: a conductor was suddenly indisposed and David was the only member of the orchestra with a baton in his case. The experience was a revelation and prompted the decision to undertake serious conducting study. A Welsh Arts Council Scholarship for Advanced Studies in Music followed, which enabled him to study conducting in the United States.
David completed his studies with Leon Barzin in Paris. He thus has a direct line to the great conductors of the early Twentieth Century, notably both Toscanini and Furtwängler. David's conducting combines the musical philosophy of the "golden age" of conducting with cutting edge research into original manuscript sources. Following his studies, David worked as assistant to Sir Charles Mackerras, another tremendous source of inspiration, working particularly on Janacek, Mozart and the Beethoven Symphonies.
This combination of modern scholarship with an awareness of the best in the interpretative traditions of the past is a vital aspect of his music-making.
David has been very active in bringing music to new audiences and to young people. An experienced musical director, he is currently Artistic Director of Sinfonia Verdi. Away from music a particular interest is yoga, Indian culture and Indian philosophy. This has led to an in-depth study of Indian music with some of its leading masters, resulting in performances with the Bombay Chamber Orchestra and a close collaboration with Sitar maestro Ravi Shankar: another major influence on David's musical life.
A popular guest-conductor, he performs throughout the world. His debut in South Africa was televised on SABC, and this has led to many projects with the major South African orchestras, including the Beethoven Symphonies with the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra and outreach work with children from the townships. He recently finished conducting a highly successful run of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte at the Longborough Festival, and made his Far-Eastern debut, performing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Seoul National Symphony Orchestra, in a performance that was broadcast on both Korean and Japanese television. Last year he toured Russia and Poland conducting the London Chamber Players in sell out concerts in St Petersburg Conservatoire, Tchaikovsky Hall, and the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatoire and, at the climax of a recent Spanish tour at the Auditorio Nacionale in Madrid. His critically acclaimed Royal Festival Hall debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra included Janacek’s Sinfonietta and Sibelius 2nd Symphony.
Future plans include return visits to the Far East, and further UK, European and US debuts, plus a major symphonic collaboration with Ravi Shankar. David was recently elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.