Conducting

David studied conducting with George Hurst and Norman Del Mar. Since 1985 he has conducted many different choirs and orchestras in the South West, around the country and overseas in festivals and workshops. His work as a freelance conductor has seen him conducting numerous concerts of all kinds of music, from jazz and songs from the shows to first performances by contemporary composers, along with a very large repertoire of choral anthems, motets, oratorios and large scale choral works.

Highlights include conducting Elgar's Dream of Gerontius in Bristol's Colston Hall in 2007 with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the tenor Paul Charles Clarke, and performing the same work in 1999 in Clifton Cathedral with John Mitchinson; the first South West performance of James MacMillan's demanding work Seven Last Words From The Cross with Exultate Singers; and a live broadcast of Duke Ellington's Sacred Concert on BBC Radio 4 for Ascension Day. He has premiered works by Roxanna Panufnik, Michael Rose, Martin Kizsko, Martin Le Poidevin, Ned Bennet and Nicholas Burt.

He is a regular contributor to BBC's religious output including conducting BBC TV's Songs of Praise (including conducting a live link with Ghana), BBC Radio 4's Sunday Worship, BBC Radio 2's Sunday Half Hour and BBC Radio 3's Choral Evensong.